For families navigating challenging times, particularly when there are concerns about a child's safety or a parent's ability to meet their needs, a family assessment can be a crucial process. One specific type of assessment, often used in complex cases involving very young children (especially newborns), takes place within a Residential Family Assessment Centre (RFAC).
This guide explains what RFACs are, when and why they are used, and the current landscape in England, based on key findings from recent research.
What is a Residential Family Assessment Centre?
Imagine a dedicated, temporary home where parents and their child (most often a newborn baby) can live while professionals assess the parents' ability to safely care for their child.
That's the core function of an RFAC. As defined by the Care Standards Act 2000 and Department for Education (DfE) regulations, these centres provide accommodation where:
- Parenting capacity to respond to a child's needs and safeguard their welfare is assessed.
- Parents are given necessary advice, guidance, and counselling.
The primary goal is to provide "robust, fair and evidence-based assessments" to inform critical decisions made by family courts. The ultimate question these assessments help answer is whether a child can safely remain in their parents' care.
When and Why Are Residential Family Assessment Centres Used?
RFACs are typically considered in high-stakes situations, often involving newborns where significant safeguarding concerns exist at birth, leading to state intervention. Here's how it usually works:
- Court Involvement: When a child is subject to an interim care order, the family court can direct an assessment under Section 38(6) of the Children Act 1989.
- The Direction: This court direction specifies where the assessment happens. An RFAC placement is one option, allowing the child to live with the parent(s) during the assessment period.
- The Assessment Period: Guided by case law, assessments are designed to be timely, typically lasting up to 12 weeks. This timeframe aims to prevent unnecessary delays for the child.
- The Outcome: The assessment findings are pivotal evidence for the court, informing the final decision about the child's permanent living arrangements – whether the family can stay together with support, or if alternative care is necessary.
The Landscape in England: Key Statistics
The use of residential family assessment centres in England has grown significantly in recent years:
- Rising Numbers: There are currently 110 operational in England (as of March 2025). This is the highest number recorded in the last 12 years.
- Rapid Growth: The number has doubled in the past 5 years (between 2019/20 and 2024/25). New registrations increased by 40% just between 2022/23 and 2024/25.
- Regional Clusters: Provision is not evenly spread. Centres are clustered, with London (28 centres) and the North West (26 centres) having the highest concentrations.
- Provider Type: The vast majority (88%) are now run by private sector providers, driving most of the recent growth.
Figure 1: Regional Distribution of Residential Family Assessment Centres In England
Regulation and Purpose
RFACs operate under a specific regulatory framework:
- Care Standards Act 2000: Defines their core function (assessment and support for parents living with their children).
- Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002: Sets minimum standards.
- DfE Guidance: Reinforces the principal standard: delivering robust, fair, and evidence-based parenting assessments focused on the child's welfare and needs.
Support During Assessment
While the primary purpose is assessment, RFACs also provide:
- Accommodation: A place for the family to live together during the assessment.
- Parenting Guidance & Counselling: Tailored advice and support to help parents develop their skills.
- A Chance to Stay Together: Crucially, they offer an alternative to immediate separation, allowing parents and child to remain together while the assessment takes place.
The Need for Greater Understanding and Consistency
Research highlights important areas where understanding and data are currently limited (Munro et al., 2014; Shaughnessy et al., 2024):
- Varied Experiences: The type of accommodation, quality, and scope of support offered can differ significantly between centres (Munro et al., 2014).
- Research Gaps: There is limited research on parent experiences within RFACs and the long-term effectiveness of different assessment approaches.
- Data Shortfalls: Crucially, no national data is collected on the characteristics of families referred (e.g., ethnicity, disability, care experience) or the outcomes of their assessments (Shaughnessy et al., 2024). This makes it hard to evaluate fairness, equity, or overall effectiveness systematically.
- Understanding Growth: The reasons behind the rapid increase in RFACs (e.g., declining availability of parent-child foster placements, court practices, market factors) need further exploration.
Figure 2: Increase In Number of Residential Family Assessment Centres In England
Conclusion: A Vital, Evolving Tool
Residential Family Assessment Centres serve a vital role within the family justice system, providing a structured environment for in-depth parenting assessments when the stakes for a child's future are incredibly high. They offer families facing significant challenges the opportunity to stay together during a critical assessment period while receiving support. The significant growth in their numbers across England underscores their increasing use.
Ongoing research points to the need for greater consistency, deeper understanding of parent experiences, and better national data collection to ensure these centres operate fairly, transparently, and deliver the best possible outcomes for vulnerable children and their families. Understanding the purpose and process of a family assessment within an RFAC is the first step towards ensuring it fulfils its potential to support families during difficult times.
Key Terms Explained
- Safeguarding Protecting a child’s right to live free from abuse, neglect, or harm.
- Interim Care Order A temporary court order placing a child under local authority supervision (often while assessments occur).
- Parenting Capacity A parent’s ability to meet their child’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs in a "good enough" manner long term.
- Permanency Plans Long-term arrangements for a child’s care (e.g., reunification, kinship care, or adoption).
Sources:
- Care Standards Act 2000, c. 14. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/14/contents
- The Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002, SI 2002/3213.* https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3213/contents
- Department for Education. (2023). Children's social care national framework: Statutory guidance on the purpose, principles for practice and expected outcomes of children's social care. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/657c538495bf650010719097/Children_s_Social_Care_National_Framework__December_2023.pdf
- Munro, E., Brown, R., & Manful, E. (2014). Risk in child protection: Assessment challenges and frameworks for residential family assessment centres (Research Report DFE-RR370). Department for Education. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a74cd1ded915d3c7d528113/RR370_Residential_parenting_assessments_FINALREPORTJULY2014.pdf
- Shaughnessy, C., Ott, E., & Smale, E. (2024). Residential family assessment centres: Data trends and questions [Briefing]. Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/Residential-family-assessment-centres-data-trends-and-questions
