A contact centre is a neutral place where children of separated families can enjoy contact with their non-resident parents and sometimes other family members, in a comfortable and safe environment. Child contact services are classified into two distinct categories, supported and supervised (which handle cases with safeguarding issues). Its primary role is to support and promote contact between those

parent A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

s, grandparents, guardians and children that do not have a Residence Order (non-resident parent). Use of a contact centre may be ordered by a family court in cases where: *contact is being resumed after a break and there are concerns raised by the resident parent. *when there are allegations by either party of ** domestic violence or

spousal abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

** child abuse either;

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

, emotional abuse or

physical abuse Physical abuse is any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person or animal by way of bodily contact. In most cases, children are the victims of physical abuse, but adults can also be victims, as in cases of domestic violence or wo ...

neglect In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness an ...

*where there is

parental alienation Parental alienation is a theorized process through which a child becomes estranged from one parent as the result of the psychological manipulation of another parent. The child's estrangement may manifest itself as fear, disrespect or hostility tow ...

present or where one of the parties involved in the dispute has an

implacable hostility In family law in the United Kingdom implacable hostility denotes the attitude shown by one parent to another in denying access to, or contact with, their child(ren) after separation or divorce. What differentiates ''implacable hostility'' from the ...

toward another. *where this has been deemed necessary by a custody evaluator or child welfare officer for welfare reasons, for evaluation purposes or else as a result of an abuse of power.

United Kingdom

The centres are local projects, run by a range of organisations, including community groups, charities, social enterprises, companies and local authorities. The first contact centre in England opened in 1985 and the first centres in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

opened in 1988. The National Association of Child Contact Centres is the supporting membership body for around 350 child contact centres and services located throughout England (including the Channel Isles),

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is the largest in Europe. The majority of centres in Scotland are run by Relationships Scotland]. A Nottingham Magistrate (England and Wales), magistrate, Mary Lower, founded the first child contact centre for private law in 1985. She went on to form the National Association in 1991, continued her involvement as President until she died in 2017. Sir James Munby is now NACCC's President supported by two Vice Presidents (

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Anne Caroline Ballingall McIntosh, Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (born 20 September 1954) is a British politician who has been a life peer since 2015. A member of the Conservative Party, McIntosh represented the Thirsk and Malton constituen ...

and Sir

Mark Hedley Sir Mark Hedley, DL (born 23 August 1946) is a British retired judge. He was a Justice of the High Court from 2002 to 2013. Early life and education Hedley was born on 23 August 1946 in London, England. He was brought up in Africa. He was educa ...

) and Patron - Sir Andrew McFarlane (President of the Family Division and Head of Family Justice). Now an established charity and company limited by guarantee, NACCC has a board of trustees chaired by Hazel Hedley. The staff team are led by the Chief Executive, Elizabeth Coe. Families either apply direct to go to a child contact centre direct or are referred by family solicitors, family mediators, social workers or

CAFCASS The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) is a non-departmental public body in England set up to promote the welfare of children and families involved in family court. It was formed in April 2001 under the provision ...

officers.

Australia

Children's Contact Services (CCS) are funded under the Government of Australia's "Family Relationship Services Program" (FRSP). The services help with handover of children and also provide supervised contact. As of 1 February 2004 there were 35 FRSP-funded Children's Contact Services and a number of non-Australian Government funded services. There is increasing difficulty in this sector, where government supported Child Contact Centres are subject to increasing demand and long wait lists, where private services are increasingly being offered in an unregulated industr
familylinkservice.com.au

Israel

In Israel there are the largest number of contact centers per capita in the world, 84 for a population of 8 million. There are no contact centers in the non-Jewish areas. 2500 men are sent to contact centers every year, approximately 40% of all divorces.

External links

Report by Strategic Partners Pty Ltd on Australian FRSP Children's Contact Services

References

''Building Bridges? Expectations and Experiences of Child Contact Centres in Scotland''
Research report commissioned by the Scottish Executive in 2004 into the effectiveness of such centres in Scotland. {{DEFAULTSORT:Child Contact Centre Domestic violence Child custody

United Kingdom

Australia

Israel

See also

External links

References