The children who visit our centre are our priority. We try to create a warm and child friendly environment where parents and children can relax and enjoy each other’s company. Our centre has a variety of toys and games for children of all ages. We always provide tea, coffee and squash for our families.

Confectionary and other drinks can be purchased. You may want to bring lunch (as our contact session takes place between 1pm and 3pm, special drinks, favourite toys or any other items such as nappies. We have facilities to heat up baby food and bottles.

Our centre is run by experienced childcare professionals and trained volunteers. We are impartial therefore we do not take sides with adults. Our focus is on what is best for the child. We also work to a strict confidentiality policy and all who work at the centre have an enhanced disclosure and barring service check (DBS).

Contact at our centre takes place by referral. The referral is made to the Social Work Manager .This can be made by the parent requesting contact , a solicitor, family mediator or Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service ). A referral is made by completing a referral form and sending it to the Social Work Manager. If you are not computer literate this can be obtained by calling the contact centre. The referral form can then be either posted or emailed to you. If this is your first referral please read the guidelines for referrers.

To ensure every person is familiar with how things work the Social Work Manager will make an appointment to meet the non-resident parent at the centre for a pre contact meeting. Another separate meeting will be made for the child and the resident parent so that they can familiarise themselves with the building and the procedure.

Call the contact centre phone 07594598243 and whoever is team leader will inform the other party.

As few as possible! However our centre is used by several different families at the same time, so we have to ensure the safety of, and consider everyone that is using it. A full copy of the rules is available to download by clicking here. The rules are also given to parents at the pre contact meeting.

Not if you don’t want to since our centre is set up with separate entrances. Parents are responsible for their children at all times so you will have to wait until the other parent arrives. We have a separate room for resident parent to wait for their children. Our centre staff with manage the handover of your child. This is done sensitively and with the child’s feelings as priority.

Our centre is independent of the courts, social services or any statutory body. Within the constraints of supported contact we do not make verbal or written reports about visits except for dates and times of attendance. However if we thought that a child may be at risk , or if a member of staff , volunteer or other Centre user was at risk of harm , then we would need to report this to the appropriate statutory agency.

The visit to our centre is a special time for children to spend time with the parent that they no longer live with. We would ask that new partners do not attend. We like to keep the atmosphere happy and fun for the child. Therefore we ask that you do not discuss any negative situations regarding court hearings or the other parent. This can be a difficult time for your child so try to keep the time happy.

There is a registration fee of £50 per parent. A further fee of £50 each is required annually. This is generally paid in cash to the social work manager or via a bank transfer. If you have evidence that you are in receipt of benefits, payment can be made at each contact session until the fee is paid. A minimum payment of £5 each time is required.