Horizon House is a safe and family-centred residential family assessment centre in Southampton, helping parents build on their strengths, keep children safe and make positive changes for their children by providing comprehensive and fair evidence based assessments and tailored support to help parents build their skills and the confidence needed to meet their children’s evolving needs.
Sometimes called a family assessment unit, our Southampton Horizon House centre give parents and children a safe, homely place to live while our experienced team completes a fair and thorough assessment.
Families receive structured observation, practical parenting support and 24/7 professional guidance. Commissioners and courts receive clear, evidence-based reporting to inform safe and timely decisions.
Collaborative, child-focused, evidence-based assessments with clear, timely and robust reports for local authorities and the courts.
A nurturing and respectful place where you can build confidence, develop parenting skills and receive support to care for your child safely.
Help make a meaningful difference to children and families while working as part of a supportive team.
See where families stay, meet our team and learn more about the daily routines and support available during a residential assessment.
We offer a range of consistent compassionate, child-focused, strengths based and robust assessment options, shaped around each family’s circumstances and needs.
Structured 12-week assessments with round-the-clock support in our Southampton family assessment unit.
Structured in-home observation and support, grounded in each family’s everyday environment.
A phased pathway combining residential insight with community-based real-world context.
Community-first assessment with residential support introduced when greater insight is required.
Considered entry, exit and step-down planning designed to sustain progress after assessment. Including outreach support.
Focused, time-limited assessments providing clear evidence to guide safe care planning.
Horizon House is a homely and welcoming six-bedroom centre made up of four bedrooms with their own en-suite bathrooms and two self-contained flats and a number of inviting communal spaces. Our centre is designed to support families feel settled and comfortable as possible and to keep families together while taking part in their assessment. We also offer:
Practical information for commissioning teams, social workers, legal professionals and families considering an assessment.
A residential family assessment centre provides a safe, structured setting where parents live with their children while trained professionals assess parenting capacity, offer practical support and prepare evidence-based reports for the local authority and court.
Our residential parenting assessments are usually structured over 12 weeks. The exact timescale is agreed around the needs of the child and family, the letter of instruction and any court-directed deadlines.
We welcome enquiries and referrals from local authority commissioning teams, social workers and legal professionals. Our team can discuss suitability, timescales and the most appropriate assessment model before a formal referral is made.
Our residential family assessment centre is in Southampton. We support families and commissioning teams across Hampshire, the South Coast, the wider South of England and London.
Our team is ready to help you find the right assessment model for the families you support.
