Who are Aspire
Aspire Therapy Services Ltd is a Consultant Clinical Psychology-led, multi-disciplinary organisation providing holistic, formulation-driven, wraparound care for Children in Care. Aspire operates within the SPIRAL Model of Care, developed by Dr Krissie Ivings, which integrates assessment, therapeutic intervention, staff consultation, multi-agency collaboration and systemic thinking to stabilise placements and improve long-term outcomes.
We were set up in 2013 specifically to meet the needs of young people in care, who often fall between cracks across different services, and end up either moving from service to service, or not qualifying for services at all.
We have demonstrated ‘Proof of Concept’ of our approach through our involvement in an NHS England study in 2923-4: The Youth Intensive Psychological Practitioners Pilot Study. We were the only non-NHS site and the only one working with LAC. Outcomes were positively evaluated by the Anna Freud Centre.
A Wrap-Around Partnership Model
Our model of practice is centred around the principle of offering psychologically informed care via care home staff, alongside access to individual therapeutic support and strong network liaison. Homes we support commit to working in a formulation driven, psychologically informed way.
We offer a range of packages for children in care offering skilled, holistic assessments, evidence based psychological therapies and regular staff consultation within an overall therapeutic frame-work and Psychological Model. As families often remain important to children, but can both enhance or undermine placements we work with families aiming to promote positive contact and limit harm, while also offering families support in their own right. We also offer meeting attendance and increased multi-agency liaison in recognition that children with complex needs require a coherent multi-agency response.
Our Key Principles
Our Key Principles
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Consultant-led, multidisciplinary expertise, offering a holistic, systemic approach.
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A team-around-the-child model
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Aspire delivers both direct and indirect interventions, ensuring care is not dependent on individual sessions but on a coherent formulation and wraparound plan
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Trauma-informed, formulation-driven practice, informed by psychological formulations, shared through consultation, staff development and care planning.
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Pro-active inter-agency communication to ensure joined up thinking
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Outcomes-focused with progress is measured through clinically meaningful tools, including our bespoke SPIRAL Radial assessment.
Spiral Model of Care
The SPIRAL Model of Care is a holistic, trauma-informed approach designed to support children in care by focusing on safety, relationships, independence, resilience, aspirations, and life skills. It provides practical, structured ways for professionals to understand challenging behaviour and build positive, lasting outcomes through empathy, consistency, and skill development.
The Spiral Radial™
The SPIRAL Radial is our unique outcome measure allowing us to track progress in genuinely meaningful ways. The Radial visually maps progress across 6 domains, offering a clear framework for understanding each young person’s needs in different areas. It helps professionals and young people celebrate progress, while identifying areas of on-going need, ensuring we capture a holistic picture of how a child is functioning and feeling, and how this is changing over time.
