St Joseph’s Family Centre delivers NACCC Enhanced Accredited Family Contact Services
A separation or divorce can hit children pretty hard, especially if it is not amicable. As an Enhanced Accredited Member of The National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC), we offer a safe and comfortable environment where non-residing parents can meet with their children, when there is no other viable alternative available. This can also be extended to other family members, such as grandparents.
Our rooms are designed to be comfortable, welcoming and friendly. Only one family is allocated to a room at any one time, please note most of our rooms require the use of stairs to access. If you are in need of a ground floor room, please ensure you make our staff aware at point of referral.
Our Child Contact Centre services are operational on weekdays between 9am-5pm and on alternate Saturdays 9am-4pm.
PLEASE NOTE:
We are currently accepting referrals for all types of contact; Supervised, Supported, Indirect and Handovers. We advise clients to submit referral forms for processing as early as possible to ensure they can be invited to the centre for pre-visits and join our waiting list.
Contact availability changes regularly and sessions will be offered to clients on the waiting list as soon as possible.
Should you wish to find other Child Contact Centres in the local area, please visit The NACCC Website
We offer the following types of contact:
Supervised Contact – Where safeguarding risks have been identified, it is often a requirement in a Court Order for the family contact session to be supervised and recorded by a trained worker. This involves the worker to be present throughout the session, who then completes a written observation report on the interaction between the adult(s) and child(ren). Written reports are provided for the Family Court and for both parents. This service can also be used to reintroduce a child to a parent where there has been a substantial gap in contact.
Supported – Where risks are low and it is deemed appropriate for contact to be facilitated unsupervised, supported contact can be a good option for families. Families are allocated a room to use to spend quality time together. Staff make regular observation visits to check on progress/ any issues/ health/ safety and wellbeing of all present and are always on hand to offer support.
Handover – Where risks have not been identified and it is agreed that the children can spend time with their non-resident family member away from the Centre, we facilitate a drop-off and pick-up service, so that children can safely transition between the family members without themselves having to come into contact with one another.
Indirect – Indirect contact is always ordered by the Court and is often where risks are too high for contact sessions to be undertaken. St. Joseph’s Family Centre acts as an intermediary party, forwarding any written correspondence or gifts as required and in line with the Court Order.
We also offer something which we call Sustained Contact which is not a standard offer advertised by NACCC. Where there are self-referrals and no Court Order is in place, a parent may still wish to have a member of staff present in order for the contact to be undertaken. In these cases, we seek the agreement of both parties and offer to have a trained worker present to observe and be on hand in case of a problem. Unlike Supervised Contact, staff undertaking Sustained Contact sessions do not make any formal reports.
Separated parents and other direct family members who are requesting to have contact with non-resident children whom they do not have contact arrangements set up with.
We accept referrals from courts and solicitors. We also accept self-referrals, providing both parties are in agreement.
If you wish to refer, please email contact@sjfc.org.uk or phone 01925 635448 to request a referral form.
Contact can only take place once both parties have completed a referral form and when the Centre confirms suitability. Once the referral form has been processed and provisional confirmation of suitability is agreed, you will be invited to attend individual pre-visits. These provide an opportunity to see the Centre and gain further understanding on the service offer and the expectations the Centre has on you and what you can expect from us. Once pre-visits are completed final assessments are completed by the Centre prior to accepting the referral.
Yes. We do not receive direct funding to support the delivery of this service. We rely on donations, grants and contributions (fees) from people accessing the service to ensure it can operate.
Our charges:
Referrals = £50 (or £20 for Indirect contact services)
This is to contribute towards the administration costs of setting up child contact and includes individual pre-visits for both parties.
Supervised Contact Sessions = £75 per hour. This covers the costs of having a trained Supervisor present and provides a contribution towards the required support team to be onsite. It also contributes towards the costs of writing reports, all other relevant administration, and towards keeping the building and facilities clean, safe and welcoming.
Sustained Contact Sessions = £50 per hour. This covers the costs of having a trained Supervisor present, a contribution towards the required support team onsite and towards keeping the building and facilities clean, safe and welcoming.
Supported Contact Sessions = £20 per hour. This contributes towards the costs of having support as and when needed throughout the session as well as supporting the costs of keeping the building clean, safe and welcoming.
Supported Handover Sessions = £10 per handover. This contributes towards having a trained team onsite to ensure a safe transition of children between parents.
Indirect Contact (Forwarding of letters/ parcels with pre-paid postage or forwarding of emails) = £5 per item. Please note: the correct postage fee will need to be attached to any indirect correspondence, in order for it to be processed.
The National Association for Child Contact Centres (NACCC) provides information and guidance on child contact matters and has useful tools for both adults and children online – www.naccc.org.uk
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) represent children in family court cases in England. They have useful information, contact details and guidance for both adults and children on their website – www.cafcass.gov.uk
