King's College London

New report, June 2026: Residential family assessment centres in England: assessment, support and decision-making in child protection and family justice.

Residential family assessment centres (RFACs) have become a major part of England's child protection and family justice system, yet surprisingly little is known about whether they improve outcomes for children and families.

These specialist residential centres are typically used when there are serious concerns about the safety and care of a baby or young child. Parents live in the centre, usually with their child, for around three months while staff observe family life, assess parenting and provide practical and emotional support. The assessments often play an important role in court decisions about whether children can remain safely with their parents or need alternative care.

A new study by Mary Baginsky (King's College London) and Rick Hood (Kingston University) has found that the number of RFACs in England more than doubled between 2018 and 2025. Yet this rapid growth has taken place without a national strategy, routine outcome monitoring or strong evidence about what works best for children and families. The report raises important questions about how such an influential part of the child protection system has developed and how its impact should be assessed.

The research drew together evidence from Ofsted inspection reports, discussions with local authorities, providers and other stakeholders, consultations with parents who had experienced residential assessment, and a review of international research and practice. It found that RFACs play several roles at once: assessing parenting capacity, supporting parents to make changes, safeguarding infants and providing evidence for courts making life-changing decisions about children's futures.

Parents described centres as places where support and surveillance existed side by side. Many valued the practical help, emotional support and opportunities to develop their parenting skills. At the same time, they also spoke about the pressure of living under constant observation and the anxiety of knowing that decisions about their child's future could depend on what happened during the placement.

The study found that many centres provide high-quality, relationship-based support and assessment. However, there is little evidence about their longer-term effectiveness, whether assessments accurately predict future parenting, or how residential assessments compare with alternative forms of family support.

The report also highlights England's distinctive reliance on residential family assessment. Compared with many other countries, England has developed a much larger residential assessment sector and uses it more extensively within family court decision-making.

The authors conclude that there is an urgent need for better evidence, improved outcome monitoring and a clearer national understanding of the role residential family assessment centres should play within children's social care and family justice systems.

This publication

Baginsky, M., & Hood, R. (2026) Residential family assessment centres in England: assessment, support and decision-making in child protection and family justice, London: NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London. https://doi.org/10.18742/pub01-261