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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 1 SC033268 Registered provider: Appletree Treatment Centre Limited Full inspection 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. The home 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 manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, seven children were living in the home. The inspectors spoke with all the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 16 December 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/12/2024 Full Good 27/08/2024 Full Inadequate 04/09/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they enjoy living in the home. A committed, consistent team of nurturing staff helps them to make progress, and children build effective relationships with staff as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the needs of each child and know what is important to them. Staff use visual clues such as ‘WOW moment’ certificates to ensure that children feel valued and can see the progress they make. Children are clear that they know who they can talk to if they are worried about anything.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children attend the provider’s own school, which is on site, and they all consistently attend. There is good communication between the two provisions, and both work together to ensure the safety of the children on site.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the need for the children to maintain relationships with friends and family, and they support family time in a variety of ways. This helps children to stay connected to their family and friends despite some children now living a long way from those people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The management team plans and manages children’s transitions to and from the home effectively. Information about the child is captured in a decision-making document that includes identified risks. However, leaders and managers do not evaluate each child’s risks against those of the child joining the home. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that risks are minimised when children come to live at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans highlight the child’s journey throughout their time living in the home and include their progress and targets to work towards. They cross-reference to the ‘Time with’ documents where staff record the work that they undertake with the child in relation to their targets. However, the language used on occasion is jargonistic and unhelpful to children. Staff also do not always clearly record any actions or next steps.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children say that they feel safe living in the home. Staff give children advice about general safety issues as well as those specific to individual children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s behaviour, when they are expressing strong emotions, sometimes leads to them being held to help them feel less overwhelmed. Staff use de-escalation and distraction or are guided away from situations to help children before they need to be held. Records demonstrate that this is needed most often when children first Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 4 come to live at the home, and they show a reduction over time the need to be held for all children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children rarely go missing from the home, but staff are clear about the actions that they would take if this were to occur.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Risk assessments include clear strategies to help minimise risk, but staff do not always update them in line with practice.

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good

The registered manager has submitted his application to voluntarily cancel his registration and is not currently working in the home. The deputy is acting as manager and led the inspection, supported by a manager from another of the provider’s homes. Staff are aware of the changes in place and clearly say that they feel supported by the deputy, who they describe as approachable and knowledgeable.

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good

Staff benefit from thorough inductions, which develop their understanding of the children and what is needed to run the home effectively. Inductions also include staff accessing a range of training. This contributes to children receiving care from suitably skilled and experienced staff.

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good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision and attend team meetings. Both include detailed discussions about children. The managers ensure that there are discussions to reflect on incidents and the children’s needs. However, gaps were identified in the frequency of supervisions, and some notes could not be found during the inspection.

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good

Safe practice is followed when recruiting staff. However, leaders and managers have not always had good oversight of the information provided during the process. This meant that essential information about a staff member’s suitability was not available during the inspection.

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good

A serious incident was not notified to Ofsted as required. This prevents the regulator from ensuring that all available actions take place to safeguard children. When this was raised during the inspection, the notification was submitted the same day.

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good

The staff team works well with other professionals, who report that they are kept updated with relevant information and the progress that their child makes. One professional said, ‘This is the most settled that [name of child] has been.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(a)(d)) 1 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that management oversight includes identifying shortfalls in risk assessments. 1 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 15 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 6 a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)) 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff receive supervision in line with the relevant policy and that notes are made and available. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.3)  The registered person should ensure that records do not include jargonistic language and give a complete picture of issues raised and the responses of staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 8

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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, Cumbria LA11 6RF

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Inspectors

Sue Atkinson-Millmoor, Social Care Inspector Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033268 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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