Homegrown Care Farm CIC provide Animal Therapy & Education on a 14 acre site in Spratton, Northants. Experiences for students with specific educational needs including social, emotional and mental health needs.
We are an inclusive business where every student is valued and we work very hard to help our students develop their skills, knowledge and positive attitudes as well as preparing them for their futures. We recognise that students are all individuals with different strengths and weaknesses and therefore offer flexible programmes with a wide range of positive experiences to meet the needs of the student.
Our Living & Learning centre is within our working farm and caters for anyone with a need for therapy or education with animals, with no age barrier. We have a full range of animals large and small and our days are very much outside working with the animals on a day-to-day, hour-to-hour basis. Our clients help with all aspects of farming from collecting eggs to shearing sheep and everything in between, if they are able and wish to. We are a very flexible "family based" centre and therefore, we only have a maximum of 8 clients a day to be able to give our clients the necessary guidance and help they require to carry out their tasks or just to encourage them to interact with the animals. We also encourage the clients to help us plant vegetables and salads to feed the animals (and us) and with the conservation of the site. We also have woodworking and tractor & machinery maintenance.
The sessions are only available as half or full days, Mon-Sat. We also run courses/sessions throughout the year for specific groups.
Time, patience and understanding are our main focus for all of our work.
We wish to provide effective solutions to health and social problems and our work aims to re-engage people with learning when they are at risk of exclusion, non-attendance or poor mental health and to enhance the well-being when they are isolated or have long term illness. We cater for pupils whose Statement/ Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) identifies severe and profound learning difficulties including autism.
We have full £10million comprehensive farm insurance both on and off our farm and all our staff have full DBS Enhancements.