A unique residential pathway for women and their children

Mother & Child is a specialist residential centre for mothers, their children and pregnant women where there are concerns about substance use, trauma, instability, safeguarding and/or parenting capacity.

Rated Good by both CQC and Ofsted, Mother & Child brings together residential parenting assessment, recovery-focused interventions, safeguarding oversight and pregnancy support in one specialist setting.

For local authorities, courts and professionals, we offer a clear referral route when the picture is complex and the need is changing.

Some women come to us after birth, where an intensive period of residential assessment is needed. Others come during pregnancy, where substance use or wider safeguarding concerns are beginning to influence decision-making.

Our role is to provide a fair, safe and therapeutic environment where women and their children can be supported, observed and assessed. We help professionals understand risk, evidence progress, and make informed decisions with the child’s safety and wellbeing at the centre.

Sometimes that leads to women staying together with their children. Sometimes it does not. Child safety always comes first.

Reliable, evidence-based assessments

In the last reporting period, 100% of completed assessments submitted to court were accepted, demonstrating the strength, rigour and reliability of our assessment model.

Mother & Child provides robust assessments, professional oversight and clear evidence about whether parenting can be safe, consistent and sustained.

Every placement includes careful risk management, observation, and transparent communication with connected professionals. This includes ongoing monitoring of risk, clear thresholds for concern, immediate reporting of safeguarding issues, and multi-agency planning throughout the placement.

READ STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Supporting women and their children

Mother & Child gives women an opportunity to be supported, observed and assessed in a specialist, independent setting.

Many women arrive with complex histories, including experiences of trauma, abuse, coercion, loss, poverty, poor mental health or substance use. As a women’s charity, we understand how these experiences can help shape the support provided and the way parenting capacity is understood.

Our pathways

Mother & Child is designed for situations where needs are complex and there is multi-agency involvement. Our model means professionals can refer into one residential service rather than relying on fragmented interventions across assessment, early motherhood and pregnancy.

Parenting Assessments

Where there are concerns about a woman’s ability to provide safe, consistent care, Mother & Child offers Ofsted-registered residential parenting assessments, rated “Good”, in a specialist mother and child setting.

Assessments are completed by qualified, registered social workers and informed by 24-hour observation, safeguarding oversight and input from the wider team. This gives local authorities, guardians and courts the information they need to make informed, child-centred decisions.

Pregnancy Stabilisation

Where substance use, trauma or wider instability are raising questions around risk before birth, Mother & Child provides pregnancy stabilisation in a specialist, good-rated CQC residential setting.

This may include situations where there are positive drug tests during pregnancy, changing patterns of use, or growing concerns around safety, stability and future parenting capacity.

Mother & Child offers an earlier route into support, giving women the opportunity to engage, reduce risk and begin building stability before their baby is born. It also gives professionals clearer oversight, better evidence and a stronger basis for planning.

Where needed, the pathway can continue from pregnancy stabilisation through to residential parenting assessment for mother and child.

Rehabilitation

Mother & Child supports women where there are ongoing concerns about substance use and parenting, including women who are on a prescription.

We do not provide detox. But recovery support is built into both our pregnancy stabilisation and residential parenting assessment pathways.

This means substance use, recovery, parenting and safeguarding can be understood together in one specialist setting. Women are supported to engage with recovery, build stability and demonstrate change over time, while professionals monitor risk, progress and parenting capacity.

Who we work with

We accept referrals from professionals for mothers and their children and pregnant women where there are concerns about:

substance use in early motherhood or pregnancy
positive toxicology, intermittent use, or reported weekend or recreational drug use
parenting capacity and the need for structured assessment
trauma, domestic abuse, poor mental health or multiple disadvantage
homelessness, exploitation, criminal justice involvement or wider instability
safeguarding concerns affecting the safety, wellbeing or development of the child

Our environment

Mother & Child provides a secure and highly supported residential setting.

Families are accommodated in five self-contained flats or one shared house, with access to shared indoor and outdoor therapeutic space.

There is 24-hour staff presence on site, with a minimum of three Family Support Workers on duty at all times. CCTV operates across the site, and recordings can be made available to local authorities and courts where appropriate. On-call management is available at all times for urgent safeguarding issues. A secure case management system supports joined-up communication and auditable recording.

Staff on-site 24/7

We ensure a minimum of three Family Support Workers on duty at all times, with further support available on-call as required.

24/7 CCTV monitoring

Across the site, accommodation is monitored 24/7 using CCTV, with recordings available to Local Authorities and Courts where appropriate. Staff continuously monitor screens, enabling them to intervene and correct parental practices in real time.

Management on-call 24/7

Alongside a minimum of 3 Family Support Workers on site, management is available on-call 24/7 to respond to emergencies or urgent safeguarding concerns.

Secure case management

We use a secure case management system to support joined-up, auditable care and communication with external professionals.

Self-contained accommodation

Families are accommodated in 5 self-contained flats or 1 shared house, reflecting real-world family environments, with access to shared indoor and outdoor therapeutic spaces.

Indoor playroom

A communal, therapeutic indoor playroom with a wide range of age-appropriate toys is available to mothers and their children.

Garden & courtyard

A secure, enclosed garden and courtyard area designed for safe outdoor play sits in the centre of the service.

Supervised outings

Outings are supervised and supported by staff to promote safe social experiences and enrichment for families.

Specialist on-site team

At Mother & Child, women are supported by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in pregnancy, parenting, recovery and infant wellbeing, amongst other disciplines. Working together in one residential mother and baby setting, the team supports women to build stability, strengthen parenting, and make progress in recovery, while keeping each child’s safety, wellbeing and development at the centre.

Family Support Workers

Our multidisciplinary team includes Family Support Workers who provide continuous supervision, modelling, daily support and safeguarding on and off site.

Social Workers

Qualified, registered social workers carry out parenting assessments, risk and viability assessments, care planning and court reports.

Counsellor

A trauma-informed counsellor provides one-to-one therapeutic support with a focus on complex trauma.

Child Attachment Specialist

A Child Attachment Specialist supports parent-child relationships, attachment and development.

Recovery Worker

A Recovery Worker delivers one-to-one drug counselling and group recovery work.

Nurse & Midwife

A Nurse and Midwife manages medication, including controlled drugs, and works closely with a GP around detox support, medical oversight and pregnancy stabilisation.

Health Visitor

A Health Visitor ensures statutory child health checks are completed.

Family Doctor

We work very closely with a local doctor’s practice, including on-site visits from a regular, named female practitioner