Children's Home run by Appletree Treatment Centre Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033268 1 SC033268 Registered provider: Appletree Treatment Centre Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to 12 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in February 2004. There is no registered manager in the home. The interim manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, nine children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a school on the same site as the home. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this site. All children from the home currently attend this school.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted judged this home as inadequate at the full inspection on 27, 28 and 29 August 2024. Inspectors identified serious concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at the inspection. Three compliance notices were served under Regulation 12, the protection of children standard; Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard; and Regulation 35, behaviour management policies and records.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the progress and actions taken by the provider to meet the three compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring visit, the inspectors found that the provider has acted to meet the steps in all compliance notices served under Regulations 12, 13 and 35.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have introduced weekly whole staff meetings. These meetings have been used to review children’s risk assessments and behaviour Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033268 2 management plans. As a result, all staff members are familiar with the plans and understand the risks faced by the children.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have reviewed the medication policy, and changes have been made to recording practices. Records now clearly indicate when children have refused or do not require medication. All staff have engaged in team meetings that have reviewed the medication policy, and staff understand the changes made to recording requirements. Managers remain in liaison with health professionals to further develop these records to ensure that all relevant information is captured in an effective manner.

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This monitoring visit

Annual performance and supervision sessions with staff include monthly discussions about training and the impact on their role. The provider has now increased the monitoring of staff training from monthly to weekly to identify any gaps. This enables managers to have a clear awareness of staff training needs and to support staff development.

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This monitoring visit

Effective monitoring and review systems are in place. All children’s behaviour support plans and risk assessments have been fully reviewed and updated. Any subsequent updates are shared directly with both the management team and the allocated keyworkers for children. All incidents are logged on the manager’s online monitoring tool. This system is used by the management team to identify if there are any patterns or trends where changes to practice could be made.

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This monitoring visit

Behaviour support plans offer individual approaches for children and document clear, non-restrictive steps to use before holds are considered. . Physical intervention records made since the last inspection identify in detail the use of de-escalation techniques used by staff before any holds of children. Records also include descriptions of the hold, the position of staff and the duration of incidents.

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This monitoring visit

Following any incident of restraint, children are spoken to by an independent staff member who was not involved in the hold. A meeting has been held with all the children, which reiterated the complaints procedure to ensure that children are aware of this process. A key-work session has subsequently been completed with one child who stated they do not like to complain. This has supported children’s understanding of when they may need to complain and the options available to them.

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This monitoring visit

Adaptations have been made to the home environment, with locks being removed from communal doors and safer storage facilities being provided in children’s bedrooms.

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This monitoring visit

Following this monitoring visit, it was decided that all three compliance notices have been met. The requirements previously issued under Regulations 6 and 37 were not reviewed during this visit. For this reason, they are restated. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033268 3 In addition, a further requirement is made under Regulation 6 following this inspection visit. Inspectors identified that children’s bedrooms have door locks that cannot be unlocked from the inside. There is no evidence to suggest that these doors are locked routinely and only used at the request of children for security. To ensure that children can consistently enter and exit their rooms of their own accord, locks should be removed or fitted with internal thumb locks. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033268 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2024 Full inadequate 04/09/2023 Full good 22/11/2022 Full good 20/04/2021 Full good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033268 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards.’ The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that there is a copy of the staff roster of persons working in the home and a record of the actual rosters worked.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 13 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. 13 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033268 6 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv)(c)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that staff follow the agreed strategies in children’s individual plans to manage behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that there is a record of all rewards and consequences used and that children’s views are routinely sought about these.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must also ensure that there are suitable sleeping arrangements in place for staff, which take into account the individual needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must also ensure that children can consistently enter and exit their bedrooms of their own accord.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033268 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Appletree Treatment Centre Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Meathop Park, Meathop, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 6RF

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Inspectors

Louise Redfern, Regulatory Inspection Manager Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC033268 8 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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