Coming to
Tyre Hill House

Coming to a residential family centre may feel worrying, especially if you don't know what to expect.

We want you to understand why you are coming to Tyre Hill House, what will happen while you are here and who will be supporting you.

You will live here with your child while we complete an assessment of your parenting. Every family's assessment is different and will be based on your circumstances, your child's needs and the questions that need to be answered.

We will explain the assessment to you, listen to your views and talk with you regularly about how things are going.

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Information for parents

What to expect

We will spend time getting to know you and your child, understanding what you already do well, what you might find difficult and what may be affecting you as a parent.

You will have opportunities to learn and practise things, receive support and talk about what is happening.

We will be open with you about what is going well and anything we remain worried about. You can ask questions, tell us if you don't understand something and give us your views throughout your assessment.

Our job is to treat you fairly and respectfully, while always keeping your child's safety, wellbeing and needs at the centre of the assessment.

Before you arrive

Before you come to Tyre Hill House, we will receive information from the professionals working with you and your child.

This helps us understand why the assessment is happening and what we need to consider.

We also want to understand what you need from us. You may  find reading or writing difficult, need information explained in a particular way, need more time to process information for example or have other communication needs.  

We will talk with you about how we can make information, meetings and the assessment easier for you to understand and take part in.

You will receive information about Tyre Hill House before you arrive and have the opportunity to ask questions.

When you arrive

When you first arrive, we'll help you settle in.

You'll meet members of the team, be shown around and have time to understand how things work at Tyre Hill House.

There will be quite a lot that is new. We don't expect you to remember everything immediately.

We will explain the important things, check that they make sense and go over them again when you need us to.

We will also spend time talking with you about the assessment: what professionals are worried about, what you think, what you would like to work on and what might help you while you are here.

Everyday life at Tyre Hill House

Most of your time here will involve the ordinary things that you and your child do together.

You'll look after your child, prepare meals, play, manage bedtime and other routines, attend appointments and spend time together as a family.

Depending on your assessment plan, you may also have planned sessions, activities or meetings with members of our team.

Our staff are here throughout the day and night.

Sometimes they will observe how things are going. Sometimes they may offer support, demonstrate something, practise something with you or help you think about another way of doing it.

As your assessment progresses, there may also be opportunities for you to do more independently so that we can understand how things are going when you have less support.

Your days won't all look the same, and your plan will be based around you and your child.

Your assessment and support

We want you to have a fair opportunity to show what you can do.

We use an approach called ParentAssess. It helps us make assessments clearer and more accessible and think carefully about how each parent learns and communicates.

That means we won't assume that everybody learns in the same way.

We might show you something rather than only explaining it, practise something together, use pictures or simpler written information, break something into smaller steps, repeat information or give you more time to think.

If something isn't working for you, tell us.

We want to understand what you can do when information and support are provided in a way that works for you.

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The team

The people supporting you

You will meet different members of our team during your time at Tyre Hill House.

This may include family support workers, social workers and people with specialist knowledge about babies and children's development, relationships, domestic abuse, alcohol or drug use, emotional wellbeing and other things that may be important for you or your child.

We also have a clinical psychologist  within our team.

You won't necessarily need support from every specialist. We will think about what is relevant to you and your assessment.

The people working with you talk to each other regularly so that you shouldn't feel as though you are having lots of completely separate assessments.

Together, we build a picture of what is happening for you and your child and what support might be helpful.

Talking about how things are going

You should know how your assessment is progressing.

We will talk with you regularly about what we are seeing.

That includes things you are doing well, progress you are making and things we think still need attention.

You can tell us when you disagree. You can ask why something is important, ask us to explain it differently or tell us when you think we have misunderstood something.

We won't always agree, but we will listen to you and explain our thinking.

Being open with each other is an important part of working together.

Your experiences matter

Some parents who come to Tyre Hill House have been through very difficult experiences.

You may have experienced trauma, domestic abuse, difficult relationships, problems with drugs or alcohol, poor mental health, the loss of a child, or difficult experiences with services.

You may also have been in care yourself.

We won't make assumptions about you because of what has happened in your past.

We will try to understand your experiences, how they affect you now and whether they affect your parenting or relationships.

Understanding your experiences does not change our responsibility to keep your child safe. It helps us work with you fairly and understand the whole picture.

Information for professionals

If you have been in care

If you have been in care yourself, we know that becoming a parent and being involved with children's services can bring up complicated feelings and experiences.

You may also have fewer people around you to call on for practical help, advice or support.

Our whole team is trained in supporting care experienced parents and we  have a specialist worker who understands care experience and can spend time with you thinking about what you need, both now and for the future.

Through our relationship with the Rees Foundation, we can also help you connect with support that can continue after you leave Tyre Hill House.

Depending on what you need, this might include practical help, support with education or employment, navigating services, relationships, confidence, independence and planning for your future.

Frequently asked questions by parents

  • Yes, if you are of legal age, we have a smoking shelter in the rear garden.

  • Yes, we have CCTV in apartments but not in bathrooms. Tyre Hill House is a large property and requires CCTV in some areas of the house for safety and security.

  • Unfortunately, alcohol is not permitted during the assessment period.

  • Yes but this must be agreed in advance with your social worker.

  • Yes unless this becomes a safeguarding concern.

  • That will depend on the assessment but wherever possible we want supervision to be minimal.