Orchard Farm

Our Home

Not only is the outdoor space desirable here at Orchard farm, but inside it also offers a warm, nurturing, and therapeutic environment for our young people. The Orchard Farm team are dedicated and passionate in all that they do, and we strive to get the best possible outcomes for all of the children and young people that come to live at the home.

The Orchard Farm Team

As a home, we pride ourselves on our skillset and various experiences in working with a wide range of children and young people, who all have their own individual needs and past experiences. Due to the location of the home, we are able to expertise our work, especially with children and young people who are at risk of CSE, CCE and missing from care. Our team is trained in delivering a therapeutic approach throughout our young people’s placement, and we work extremely closely with families and professionals to enable us to deliver the best possible care. 

Environment

Orchard Farm is located in a very rural area of the Peak District, with sweeping views across the national park. We are also fortunate enough to come into contact with a wide variety of wildlife within the grounds and immediate surrounding area.

Orchard Farm is a 3 bedded farmhouse that still has many of its original features, including stone flooring, wooden beams and log burning fire. It is nicely decorated and furnished throughout, this in itself makes the home a desirable space for children to live.

As well as the main house, we are also extremely fortunate to have an additional annex building, that comprises of a living space for one young person and a staff member. This annex space can be used for different reasons including to promote and develop independence or to allow a young person to live solely whilst also having frequent interaction and engagement with other young people who live in the main house. Or alternately, this annex can be used should a young person begin to go into crisis for a period, whilst their placement is stabilised. 

Outcomes for children

The relationships the Orchard Farm team build with young people enables the home to work closely with them, gaining positive outcomes in all areas of their lives. This includes education, independent living skills, self-regulation abilities and development in the ability to form positive and appropriate relationships with others within the community, as well as working on their understanding of safe behaviours and keeping themselves safe. One example of this is where we have worked with young people that have frequently had historical missing from care episodes, that have reduced significantly since living at Orchard Farm. 

Here at Orchard Farm, we are continually looking at progress, achievements and outcomes for our children and young people throughout all aspects of their lives, with a clear focus on their aims, goals, and aspirations. Within this and in our children’s plans, we are not only looking at what is important for the child, but also, what is important to the child to ensure we are capturing their views and providing them with the ability to maintain input and control in their lives and their progress. 

Activities

At Orchard Farm, we include children to participate in activities both in and out of the home- this includes community-based clubs and hobbies. Our most recent young person a has just joined a local dance and gymnastics clubs, with some of our other young people attending football and boxing throughout the week.

We also support all of our young people to practice and enjoy any religious or cultural activities that they wish to do. As well as the outdoor experiences we offer, we pride ourselves in having a wide range of accessible things to do within the home, such arts and crafts, games consoles, board games.                             

Our children are also supported in going on holidays should they wish to do so, and we ensure that we capture the children and young people’s experiences through photos and memorabilia that they can take with them when their time comes to move on from Orchard Farm. 

Children’s perspective/comments

Comments from our young people, both past and present has been consistently positive, which is a testament to the hard work and commitment that is provided by the team here at Orchard Farm. along with the positive and nurturing environment that they are provided with. 

"I can’t believe how much I have changed since being at Orchard Farm, and I have GCSE’s now which I never thought I would get."

Social worker feedback

LP Social worker:

"LP’s needs are met with a consistent approach from staff, which enables engagement from LP. LP would previously not engage in any form of education and was out of parental control upon coming into care, with verbal and physical aggression. There has been limited incidents, very limited, of these behaviours continuing- and LP is beginning to engage in progressing his education. I have no concerns at all and any concerns have been shared with me in a timely manner and LP feels listened to with his voice being heard. The home has done well in progressing LP, exploring his emotions and behaviours and supporting him to process his feelings. I am always kept up to date with action planning, care plans and identified keywork sessions. The home is accommodating to supporting myself as social worker visiting and undertaking specific direct work."

‍

DB Social worker:

"DB is now accessing his education, has abstained from frequent drug use and is being supported in rebuilding relationships with his family. Orchard Farm have been present in all meetings and have shared information with social care effectively, in order to best manage the young person placed with them. The home created a behaviour plan specific to DB prior to him being placed, and with short notice. This document was well prepared and included all necessary information that had been shared with the home. Orchard Farm have given clear explanations for their rationale and have taken an active part in the implementation of DB’s plan and completing actions before expected timeframes.

The home support positive relationships very well – DB has remarked that they ‘feel like a big family’. He is fond of the staff team and has quickly built rapport with them. The home has reached out to other professionals to make well informed decisions on managing DB’s behaviour. As a professional visiting the home, the atmosphere is homely and welcoming. The home manager is very professional and knowledgeable. She has taken into consideration the dynamics of the home and the young people placed, to ensure that this is the right placement for each child within the home. The staff are supportive of the young people and have a consistent approach across the team. This is the first placement for this young person after a very difficult period of missing episodes. However, they have settled in very quickly, have positive feedback of the home and have built positive, safe relationships in a short amount time. This is a testament to the ethos of the home."

‍

AW Social Worker:

"I strongly feel that the placement is meeting all of AW’s needs, that he feels safe and secure in placement and the staff will continue to support AW in his areas of need. I would not hesitate to place another child at Orchard Farm and would be more than happy to speak with any local authority.

AW has had many positive role models since living at Orchard Farm, which I know will stay with him throughout his life. AW has now been in local authority care for 4.5 years, and whilst we hope that he will return to his birth family in the near future, through Orchard Farm, AW will have his first transitioned and positive move and not a placement breakdown. I am so grateful for the perseverance in getting this far. The home has made my job so much easier in that I always felt confident in the decisions they made and always welcomed them being a strong advocate in ensuring that AW’s voice was heard. It has been a fine example of partnership working. I was always asked during Reg44’s if there was anything Orchard Farm could do better, I have spent the last 6 months trying to think of something.... still nothing even though I have high expectations, Orchard Farm definitely met them more than I ever envisaged."