Larkhill House Farm

Larkhill is a large country house on the outskirts of Derbyshire, and it consists of a 4-bedroom farm house with outbuildings such as stables and arable land.

12

  • Age: 8 – 16

  • Capacity: Up to 4

  • Female and Male

Formerly a working farm, Larkhill Farm provides a quiet, private environment for children and youths, but has increasingly strong ties within the local community at different levels. Since taking possession of the site, Cedarways has included additional facilities to help sustain the implementation of various activities and programmes that correspond with children’s needs. These facilities include an equestrian arena, additional stabling for horses, and a polytunnel where our children and young people can grow vegetables for the kitchen.

Of all the theoretical therapeutic settings, Larkhill therapy is the one which is most directly associated with residential care. The word therapy has Greek origins, and it means to heal or to make well again. At Cedarways we bring together the attributes of the environment’s potential with the purpose of helping those who are ‘in therapy’ to feel better about themselves and so to become well again.

Underpinned by psychodynamic principles, the aim of Larkhill Farm is to provide a ‘complete’ social environment in a group living setting (often referred to as a therapeutic community), which meets the physical and emotional needs of those who live there. This approach has been used both in mental health settings and in the field of residential care, as it ensures the development of emotional confidence and proper social skills, by building and maintaining meaningful relationships with their peers, through everyday events and interactions. Those placed in therapeutic communities are known to have emotional troubles with concomitant behavioural problems, which makes them too vulnerable to live in the wider community.

In therapeutic communities for young people, education is an integrated part of the daily routine. This educational intervention (which is in part less conventional than mainstream educational provision) has both an educational and a social role and is part of the therapeutic milieu.

The ‘life space’ provides a safe environment that is rich with social opportunities, with short and long-term positive effects on the children and young people’s quality of life. This setting is flexible and dynamic, while remaining focused on providing experiences that facilitate treatment goals and on creating opportunities for personal development. To do this, it uses common structures such as daily routines, consistent rules, and activities.

The therapeutic community is set up in such a way that it is encouraging and assisting children and youths to learn how to attain the best version of themselves, taking into consideration their strengths, but also their individual limitations. The young person receives unconditional support while he or she works through unresolved relationship difficulties, learns to solve problems, and develop coping skills. Furthermore, the milieu offers the proper framework for these developments to be worked through, practiced and integrated into the young person’s growing catalogue of life strategies.

Larkhill therapy is anchored around acknowledging the views and long-term aspirations of children and youths, as well as the operational needs of the institution. Following this approach, regular and frequent meetings are held with a keyworker, and in addition, daily community meetings are organised to foster the interaction between the young people and the members of the staff. During these meetings, they can reflect on the good and bad things they experienced during that day and learn how to accept and adapt to the ups and downs of life. This process of self-evaluation gives the possibility to understand how other young people and staff view himself or herself, in a non-threatening setting.

In the therapeutic milieu, there is a focus on creating a physical environment which echoes the philosophy of care. Thus, the rooms are given a soft and warm look by decorating them with adequate fabric and furnishings that instil the feeling of being in a safe place. Caring for pets and farm animals is often part of the living routine. Food is carefully prepared with wholesome ingredients, and it is presented in such a way that it cherishes its real nature. The sense of belonging is enhanced by eating communally.

In conclusion, the scope of the Larkhill therapy is to improve the lives of young people in care, by helping them integrate both socially and emotionally in their world, without them losing the sense of being their unique selves. If young people continue to have stability, confidence, and use the skills they acquired to lead a normal and healthy life after their stay in a therapeutic community, the effectiveness of the milieu therapy is demonstrated as these young people are prepared to withstand the pressures of the wider community.

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