Children's Home run by Vita Nova NE Ltd in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2859334 1 Registered provider: Vita Nova NE 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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties or with a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home, and all children were spoken with during the inspection.

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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 outstanding

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2859334 2

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Summary of findings

Children are happy living in the home and have positive relationships with the staff. Staff support children to build relationships with their peers in the home and make new friends in the community. Children are well supported in education and are making good progress. The staff advocate for the children and celebrate the children’s achievements. The stability that children experience gives them the confidence to join sports teams and try new hobbies.

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Summary of findings

Staff benefit from excellent leadership from a manager who promotes an open learning culture, where everyone can reflect when things do not go to plan and learn to improve their practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers ensure that the needs and vulnerabilities of children are fully considered when they come to live at the home. This helps to ensure that the children’s needs can be met living together. Furthermore, children benefit from well-thought-out moving in plans. Staff introduce themselves by letter and meet children away from the home to form early relationships. This helps children to feel welcome and settle into the home quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager advocates for a change of school for children when long journeys make engaging in school life difficult. Children’s attendance is good and they are making progress in their studies. Communication between school and home staff is regular. Teachers value the joined-up approach with staff and recognise how children’s engagement in education improves after they move to this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff encourage children to try new things and engage with the local community. Children attend the community centre and join in with games of bingo, create scarecrows for the annual scarecrow contest and are part of the village carnival. The children complete missions and gain reward badges on a range of topics, such as looking after the environment, planning trips and learning new independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take on the supervision of children’s family time to enable a more flexible approach. Children are supported to develop and rebuild relationships with their brothers and sisters. The manager and staff have developed positive relationships with family members. This contributes to helping family time be a positive experience for everyone. Furthermore, children are supported to engage in life-story work that helps them to understand their experiences, relationships and family dynamics.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and are involved in lots of active hobbies. Children learn how to manage their own health needs. When children have physical or mental health difficulties, the manager ensures that they have the right support. When a child is facing Inspection report for children’s home: 2859334 3 a long wait for an assessment, the manager ensures that every avenue is explored in pursuit of gaining the required help for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that children have a variety of ways of making their voice heard. Children use a suggestion box and have regular children’s meetings that capture their views. The manager maintains a record of the children’s suggestions and responds to them in writing with an outcome. This helps children to feel that their views are important and that they have a say in how they are cared for.

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

Staff keep children safe online with age-appropriate restrictions and regular device checks. Staff have considered conversations with children about the risks and ensure that they themselves are well informed about the dangers of specific websites. Managers are measured in their approach to online safety, balancing safety with the need to educate children on how to navigate the online world as they grow older.

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

Children’s behaviours are well understood. Managers and staff use chronologies of incidents and analytical tools to help them identify common triggers for behaviours. When they need more insight, they consult with psychologists for advice and support. This helps staff to respond to children with care and nurture when children are struggling with their emotions.

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

Staff rarely need to restrain children to keep them safe. When they do, the manager talks to the child and helps them to reflect on why the hold was necessary. The manager speaks with the staff involved to identify any learning from the incident. When the manager identifies a need for additional support or training for staff, she seeks support from the specialist therapeutic team.

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

Staff give children natural consequences when poor or unsafe behaviour is displayed. Children are encouraged to reflect on their behaviour and resolve any differences with those affected as a result. This helps children to understand the consequences of their actions and learn how to repair relationships.

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

When necessary, the manager works with children’s social workers to develop plans that help them to analyse information when children raise concerns repeat concerns about their care and staff practice. The plan supports the manager to identify when further investigation is needed to ensure that any serious concern is investigated fully and safeguarding procedure followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are enthusiastic about making a difference to children’s lives. They lead a culture that holds the importance of children feeling loved and empowered in high regard. Well-trained staff greatly benefit from an open and honest learning culture where mistakes are viewed as an opportunity for reflection and learning. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2859334 4 manager has high aspirations for the staff and the children. Everyone’s achievements are celebrated, creating a feeling of belonging for the children and the staff alike.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff work collaboratively with professionals, who report excellent communication and working together with the staff. Some social workers said that the relationships that the staff have with the children’s parents are invaluable in helping to maintain the children’s care when there may be some professional challenges in working with families. Social workers spoke highly of the attention to detail given by the manager and staff when children move into the home, helping children to settle quickly and with minimal disruption to their education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have regular, reflective supervision sessions that they find highly supportive. Staff’s wellbeing and progress are discussed at every session, alongside a thorough reflection on the children’s needs. In addition, staff engage in reflective handovers at every change of shift and complete daily reflection logs that they bring to their supervision sessions to prompt discussion on the most relevant matters.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff experience a comprehensive induction when they start in their roles, followed by support from a mentor and training workshops that help them to achieve the required qualification. Staff have opportunities for career progression through the provider’s trainee manager scheme. Staff enjoy working in the home and staff retention is positive, providing consistency for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a range of monitoring tools that help her to have effective oversight of the functioning of the home and the progress of the children. The manager actively seeks feedback and suggestions from the staff and a variety of sources, including the children and their families. Team meetings routinely include a ‘what would you change’ section for staff to offer suggestions for areas of improvement. As a result, staff feel listened to and that their experiences and opinions are important.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations were raised following this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2859334 5

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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: 2859334 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Vita Nova NE Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Vita Nova NE Limited, 58 Lanchester Road, Maiden Law, Lanchester, Durham DH7 0QS

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Inspector

Kirstie Sutherland, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2859334 7 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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