A children’s home run by “Real Housewives of Cheshire” star Ampika Pickston has been permanently closed after a tribunal judge upheld a decision to cancel its registration amid concerns about its care. Ofsted decided in March 2024 that Pickston and her firm AP Care Homes Limited should “no longer be authorised to carry on the regulated activity” at Moss Farm Children’s Home, which cared for teenage girls. Pickston had appealed against the decision, but a First-tier Tribunal ruled that the registration should not be reinstated.
Judge Siobahn Goodrich and the panel found a “significant” risk of “harm to the health, well-being, and safety” of children at the home in Altrincham. The panel’s view was that the risk had been “amply demonstrated by the objective consideration of the experiences of the children who have lived there.”
Among the concerns found by the “detailed and cogent” evidence of Ofsted inspectors was the high turnover of managers who clashed with Pickston over her policies. Ofsted cited her “problematic approach to staff,” which had “overruled management decisions and demanded statements in support of her views regarding Ofsted.”
Incidents cited included various safeguarding issues involving children placed in the home by a council, such as going missing, causing extensive damage, threats of self-harm, and threats to staff.
Closure over safety concerns
In one instance, the home terminated the placement when the child was at McDonald’s with a social worker. One staff member reported concerns about the “huge lack of boundaries” where children were taken for expensive meals by Pickston.
In one case, a child’s parent complained that a child had been bought a pair of tracksuit bottoms worth £110 to attend a charity event. The staff member also thought it was inappropriate for a home for vulnerable girls to have its own Instagram account. Pickston took one girl to her home to choose a dress from her wardrobe, the panel heard.
The judge noted that while Pickston “sees herself as a benefactor which is in itself a laudable aim,” adding that it “was to her credit” she refused to employ agency staff or offer zero-hours contracts. Goodrich also recognized the home was “high end in terms of facilities” and “in terms of comfort, the view could be easily reached that any child would be lucky to live there.”
Pickston could not immediately be reached for comment on the tribunal’s decision.
