The Real Housewives of Cheshire star’s company disputes the findings
By Kevin Fitzpatrick & Ewan Gawne
BBC News
A children’s home owned by a reality TV star was temporarily shut after inspectors found “serious failings” in the care of young people.
AP Care Homes Limited in Altrincham, where Real Housewives of Cheshire star Ampika Pickston is a director, was rated inadequate by Ofsted.
The firm said the regulator’s report about an inspection last year had since been amended but was still “flawed”.
It added the home was now “open and fully operational” again.
The suspension of the children home’s licence was lifted on 4 January.
A spokesman for the firm said it would be “vigorously” pursuing the matter with Ofsted.
Ms Pickston established AP Care Homes Limited in July 2022.
The Altrincham site was registered with Ofsted a year later and can provide care for “up to four children with social and emotional difficulties”.
Inspectors visited in November 2023, when two young people were staying there.
In their report, they said they had found “widespread failures” to protect children.
They found staff failed to notice and get professional help for a child who was routinely missing meals and once went at least two days without food.
None of those working at the home were trained to spot the signs of self-harm and assess the risks to children, and there was no registered manager in post, inspectors said.
Vapes were not taken away from one child and there were instances when children had gone missing from the home, the report added.
‘Significant concerns’
Inspectors said Ms Pickston had overseen the management of the home, but they found she “did not have the skills and experience” to run it in line with children’s home regulations.
The “significant and widespread concerns” identified led Ofsted to issue a notice suspending the registration of the home, which then temporarily closed in December.
In a statement, an AP Care Homes spokesman said it delivered “care for children to the highest standards” and challenged the regulator’s “flawed” initial report.
He added: “The company has been made aware that Ofsted has now taken the extraordinary step of publishing an amended report on 17 January.
“Having reviewed that amended report, the company has written to Ofsted to make clear that the amended report is as flawed as the earlier (withdrawn) report.”
Ofsted has been contacted for comment.
This article was amended on 20 January 2024 to make clear that the suspension of the children’s home licence has been lifted.
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