The front of Hammond House, a red-brick house with dormer windows, a blue front door and planted borders.

Home / Hammond House

Our home

Hammond House, Colchester

An ordinary house on an ordinary street in Berechurch. A child living with us has an address, not a placement location.

3 beds Ages 7–17 All genders 3 floors + garden

The house

Hammond House runs over three floors with an enclosed garden and recreational space to the rear — room to relax, exercise, play music or just be outside.

Every child has a well-furnished bedroom with their own bed and storage, and staff help them personalise it. Communal areas are built for company; a mindfulness space and an activity room are there for the opposite. Quiet places to regulate matter as much as sociable ones.

The front of Hammond House, showing off-street parking on the driveway and a level path leading to the front door.
The approach — Off-street parking and a level path to the door

The area

Berechurch is a close-knit, low-crime community with the town centre about fifteen minutes away. Colchester has parks and green space throughout, and a strong range of primary and secondary schools — with several SEN provisions nearby for children who need specialist education.

A GP, dentist, optician and pharmacy are all within a ten-minute drive. Essex County Hospital A&E is two miles away; Oaks Hospital is three.

Full detail sits in our Location Risk Assessment, developed with Essex Police and partner agencies.

Hammond House

Berechurch, Colchester CO2 8WT
Beds
3
Age range
7–17
Genders
All welcome
Floors
3 + garden
Supervision
Minimum 1:1
Education
Local schools
Availability
Enquire
Refer to this home

Why families choose us

What sets Hammond House apart

Family-like atmosphere

An ordinary house on an ordinary street, not an institution. Every child has their own room to personalise, and we aim to give each of them two consistent key workers, so relationships survive a rota.

Tailored care plans

Every placement runs on a Comprehensive Therapeutic Treatment Plan, directed by our Forensic Psychologist and built around the individual child, not a fixed programme everyone is fitted into.

Holistic approach

Our approach combines care with education, therapeutic support and life skills development, enabling young people to grow in every aspect of their lives — from a mindfulness space and an activity room for regulation, to financial literacy and support that continues past 16.

Qualified and caring staff

Staff are PRICE-trained (Restraint Reduction Network) and receive monthly clinical supervision from our consultant Psychotherapist, so the people doing the daily work are themselves part of the therapeutic model.

Focus on safety and security

Minimum 1:1 supervision at all times, proportionate security that never covers private space, and a Location Risk Assessment developed with Essex Police — safety without it feeling like surveillance.

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Photo tour

See Hammond House for yourself

Swipe or use the arrows for a quick look around — every room is covered in more detail below. Tap any photo to see it larger.

Inside the home

Room by room

A closer look at each part of the house, and what actually happens there.

Family space

The shared rooms

Downstairs is built for company — which only works if there is somewhere else to go when company is too much.

The living room's corner sofa seats the whole household comfortably, with light pouring in through the patio doors onto the garden. A separate TV corner means film night doesn't have to compete with anyone doing their own thing, and the games room next door — complete with a pool table — gives everyone somewhere to burn energy or just be teenagers together.

  • Open-plan living space with garden doors
  • Dedicated TV corner, separate from main seating
  • Games room with a pool table
The living room at Hammond House, with sofas and armchairs arranged around a low table.
The living room — Seating enough for the whole household at once
The television end of the living room, with soft seating facing a wall-mounted screen.
The TV end — Where most evenings actually happen
The games room at Hammond House, with a pool table and seating.
The games room — Something to do with your hands
The kitchen at Hammond House, with fitted units, worktops and appliances.
The kitchen — Weekly menus planned with the children
The dining room at Hammond House, with a dining table and chairs beside a window.
The dining table — Everyone eats together, every day

Meal times

Kitchen and dining

Menus are planned each week with the children and guided by a certified nutritionist. Dietary, religious and preference needs are all met.

The kitchen is fitted and modern, with worktop space for children to get involved in cooking if they want to — chopping, stirring, or just picking what goes on the list. The dining table sits just through from it, big enough for the whole household to sit down together, because a shared meal every day matters as much as what's actually on the plate.

  • Weekly menus planned with the children
  • Dietary, religious and preference needs met
  • Everyone eats together, every day

Bedrooms

A room of their own

Three bedrooms across three floors. Every child gets their own bed, their own lockable storage, and help making the room look like theirs.

Each room starts as a blank canvas and becomes whoever moves in — posters, colours, a favourite throw over the bed. The loft room sits under its own sloping ceiling with a skylight, and one bedroom keeps a reading corner set apart from the bed, so there's always somewhere to sit that isn't for sleeping.

  • Own bed and lockable storage
  • Help personalising the space, room by room
  • A loft room with its own skylight
  • A reading corner, away from the bed
A single bedroom at Hammond House with a bed, desk and wardrobe.
A single room — Help to personalise the space
A bedroom at Hammond House with a double bed, blue walls and fitted storage.
A bedroom — Their own bed, their own storage
The loft bedroom at Hammond House, set under a sloping ceiling with its own window.
The loft room — Top floor, with its own quiet
A reading corner in one of the bedrooms, with a chair and shelving.
A reading corner — Alone without being lonely
The mindfulness room at Hammond House, lit warmly, with soft seating and cushions.
The mindfulness room — Warm light, soft everything
The mindfulness room under cool blue light, showing its colour-changing lighting.
The same room, cooler — Lighting that changes as needed
The activity room at Hammond House, set up with gym equipment.
The activity room — Led by a personal trainer

Regulation

Quiet, and moving about

The mindfulness room and the activity room do opposite jobs. Both are always available — regulation is not a reward here.

Under warm light, the mindfulness room is built for winding down: soft flooring, cushions, and wall projections that shift with the mood in the room. Switch the same lighting to cool blue and it works just as well for a different kind of calm. Down the hall, the activity room is kitted out with gym equipment for anyone who needs to move first and talk after — physical health led by a personal trainer.

  • Colour-changing lighting, warm or cool
  • Soft flooring and low seating
  • Activity room with gym equipment

Outdoors

The garden

An enclosed garden and recreational space to the rear: room to relax, exercise, play music, or just be outside.

It's fully enclosed and private, with a lawn and a paved seating area for anything from a barbecue with the household to ten quiet minutes alone. It backs onto the same low-crime, close-knit street as the front of the house — ordinary, on purpose.

  • Fully enclosed and private
  • Lawn plus paved seating area
  • Space for music, exercise and games
The enclosed rear garden at Hammond House, with lawn, paving and planted borders.
The garden — Enclosed, with room for music, exercise and activities

Our promises

What's the same for every child

Their own room

Personalised how they want it. Privacy, storage, and a space that settles rather than processes them.

A mindfulness space

Somewhere to go when the house is too much. Regulation isn't a reward, it's infrastructure.

Two key workers

We aim to assign two, giving a balanced approach and a relationship that survives a rota.

A garden

Enclosed, with space for music, exercise and themed activities.

Food they choose

Weekly menus planned with the children, guided by a certified nutritionist. Dietary, religious and preference needs all met.

A smoke-free home

No tobacco or vaping products bought or permitted, with real support to stop for anyone who arrives smoking.

Is Hammond House right for your young person?

Tell us about the child. Our psychotherapist reviews every referral and we'll give you an honest answer.

Make a referral