Contact Services

Supported contact is suitable for families where there is no or a low risk to the child or those around them. 

​

Staff are available to assist, but there is no close observation, monitoring or evaluation of conversations or interactions.  

​

​

Supervised Contact is offered when the contact adult  is identified as posing a risk to your child or those around them.

​

Contact takes place between your child and their contact adult in the presence of a trained contact worker.

​

The contact worker will complete an un-biased, factual observation recording of what happens during the contact; such reports may be produced as evidence in court. ​

​

Contact takes place within the community rather than our centre and can take place on either a  supported or supervised basis. 

 

Here, children can spend meaningful quality time with their contact adult at community venues, such as the cinema, park, café, soft play or other child friendly venues.

Handovers help reduce conflict between separated parents and or their handover adult in front of the child.

​

Handover provides a supportive environment whereby your child can move from one parent/contact adult to the other parent/contact adult ready for contact. 

​

Handovers can take place at our Centre or in a suitable community location.

​

​

​

​

Indirect contact is used where direct contact is either unsafe, unworkable and or not in the child’s best interests.

 

Indirect Contact includes sending letters or cards or sending gifts.

​

The role of the contact centre is often to support this process by ensuring that the gifts are appropriate, and letters do not contain inappropriate messages prior to forwarding these to the child.

​

This service can be helpful where one parent cannot know the home address of the child.

This is a form of contact that takes place online, using video messaging software like Teams, Zoom, Facetime, Skype.

 

Virtual contact can be either supervised or supported.

​

Escorted Contact, is very similar to community contact, however in our setting when we refer to Escorted Contact we mean contact taking place in a place out of the setting, where you are required to be escorted for contact to take place. 

​

For instance, if your child is in hospital or if you are in prison. 

​

This can occur on a supervised or supported basis.

Time For You is a dedicated support service for children in foster care who are subject to public children proceedings and need a safe, positive break from the pressures of their current circumstances.

​

We understand that periods of legal proceedings, placement changes, and emotional uncertainty can be overwhelming for children.

 

Time For You offers carefully planned short breaks that give children the opportunity to step away from stress, reset emotionally, and simply be children again.

 

At Home Contact, says what is is on the tin, contact will take place in the setting of your home.

 

Contact Workers will attend your home and contact will ​occur on a supervised or supported basis.