Children's home run by Vita Spirit Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 1 Registered provider: Vita Spirit Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a small private company and provides care for up to 4 children with learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 29 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2025 Full Good 03/05/2023 Full Good 10/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 3 the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children living in the home have made positive progress. This is due to the high- quality, individualised care they receive. One professional said, ‘Children experience a loving, caring environment.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s preferred communication styles and needs. Children actively participate in day-to-day and more complex decisions about their lives. Staff have attended school with one child to ensure that they understand and can support the child with a new communication aid.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals speak positively about the staff in the home. Effective and consistent communication with wider agencies ensures that children’s needs are regularly reviewed and that their progress continues to be supported. The manager has worked closely with local authorities to secure a place at a specialist school for one child, ensuring that their needs can be met effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school and are making positive progress. Teachers report that staff are supportive and consistent in their approach. This consistency is helping children to sustain their learning and continue to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy spending time with staff and take part in a wide range of activities. All children recently enjoyed a holiday with staff, where they were able to participate in many different experiences. The manager’s thorough planning ensured that every child was included and the children were able to make happy memories together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and met effectively. When one child experienced changes in their emotional wellbeing, staff promptly raised this with external services to ensure that the right level of support was put in place. The manager has also challenged delays in securing additional therapeutic input to make sure that children receive the help they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend quality time with their families. When care planning arrangements change, staff advocate strongly for what is in each child’s best interests. Staff recognised that one child was struggling with a change to their family time arrangements and ensured this was reviewed and adapted in partnership with the child’s family and professionals.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff consistently keep children safe. When asked how staff support them, one child said, ‘They just keep me safe.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 4 Staff use clear, consistent strategies and approaches. These are informed by a strong understanding of each child. Staff adapt their practice when they recognise that children may need extra support. Managers monitor and review incidents to identify themes and patterns. These are discussed with wider agencies to ensure that plans reflect children’s current needs.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Leaders and managers ensured that staff received trauma-informed training when one child’s lived experiences began to affect their emotional wellbeing and behaviour. Staff focus on understanding the reasons behind each child’s behaviour so they can provide the most appropriate support. As a result, physical intervention is used only when necessary to keep children safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are supported with positive morning routines, helping them to feel prepared and ready for the day ahead. Staff provide additional support to one child by accompanying them to and from school after recognising their need for increased safety during transport. As a result, no further significant incidents have occurred during these journeys.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff adapt children’s plans and activities daily to meet their emotional needs. Some staff incorrectly record these adjustments as consequences. They do not fully understand the home’s policy regarding behaviour management and the use of natural consequences. The manager has not taken sufficient action to ensure that staff understand the importance of record-keeping and writing records in line with the company’s policy.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff took appropriate action to ensure that additional safeguards were in place when one child displayed new behaviours. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff received timely training to respond appropriately to support this child.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager ensures that all staff undergo the necessary recruitment checks, including enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks. This ensures that children are cared for by safe and suitable adults. When concerns arose about a new staff member’s conduct, the manager acted promptly.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager has ensured that all outstanding fire safety actions have been addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic and dedicated to ensuring that the home is a happy place to live and work. She has high expectations for what all children can achieve and supports staff to have the skills and knowledge to provide high standards of individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home and receive regular supervision. New staff have clear induction plans. Staff say they are well supported, and their individual strengths are considered. The manager has devised a new development pathway to ensure that staff can develop their skills in areas they wish to strengthen. There have been a number of Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 5 staff changes, but a large proportion of these have been due to staff progression due to the support of leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established positive working relationships with wider agencies. Professionals speak highly of the staff and recognise the positive impact they have on children’s lives. This strong multi-agency approach supports children’s progress. When necessary, the manager advocates firmly on behalf of children and challenges decisions that are not child centred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recognises that all behaviour is a form of communication and ensures this approach is modelled consistently by staff. She is committed to helping children understand their emotions and develop the skills they need to self-regulate. Children are supported to use a range of tools and systems in the home, alongside individual strategies, to help them manage their emotions and the feelings they experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are used as valuable development sessions. The registered manager invites external professionals involved in the child’s care to strengthen staff knowledge and practice. This promotes continuous learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s plans and records clearly highlight children’s progress and achievements. The home has recently changed to a digital recording system. The manager still uses some paper systems to ensure that the digital records capture all known information. This has enabled her to have continuous oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager reviews all incidents within the home and ensures that appropriate action is taken. However, she has not ensured that all serious incidents involving children are appropriately identified and notified to the regulator within the required time frames. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all staff have the necessary training to ensure the safety of the children living in home, specifically ligature training. 27 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. 27 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 7 The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 27 March 2026

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Vita Spirit Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 25–27 Seel Street, Liverpool L1 4AU

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Inspector

Alexandra Pearson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2635269 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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