Child contact centre
Encyclopedia
A contact centre is a place where a non-resident parent may have supervised (or supported) contact with his or her children. Its primary role is to support and promote contact between those parent
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:
, or local churches and are not statutory institutions. The first contact centres in Scotland
opened in 1988.
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
and Northern Ireland
. It is the largest in Europe. A Nottingham magistrate, Mary Lower, founded the first child contact centre for private law. She went on to form the National Association and is the President. Mary is supported by five Vice Presidents and two patrons - Sir Nicholas Wall and Lord Alton of Liverpool. Now an established charity and company limited by guarantee, NACCC has a board of trustees chaired by Dr Mike Dornan. The team of office and regional staff are led by the Chief Executive, Yvonne Kee.
Families are referred by the courts, CAFCASS
officers, family mediators
and social workers.
's "Family Relationship Services Program" (FRSP). The services help with handover of children and also provide supervised contact.
At 1 February 2004 there were 35 FRSP-funded Children's Contact Services and a number of non-Australian Government funded services.
Parent
A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child . Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child...
s, grandparents, guardians and children that do not have a Residence Order
Residence in English family law
Residence is a term used to refer to not always similar concepts in various parts of English law including taxation, immigration, and family law. The remainder of this article deals exclusively with English family law...
(non-resident parent).
Use of a contact centre may be ordered by a family court
Family court
A family court is a court convened to decide matters and make orders in relation to family law, such as custody of children. In common-law jurisdictions "family courts" are statutory creations primarily dealing with equitable matters devolved from a court of inherent jurisdiction, such as a...
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 violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
or spousal abuse - child abuseChild abuseChild abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
either; sexual abuseSexual abuseSexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
, emotional abuse or physical abusePhysical abusePhysical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object... - neglectNeglectNeglect is a passive form of abuse in which a perpetrator is responsible to provide care for a victim who is unable to care for himself or herself, but fails to provide adequate care....
- domestic violence
- where there is parental alienationParental alienationParental alienation is a social dynamic, generally occurring due to divorce or separation, when a child expresses unjustified hatred or unreasonably strong dislike of one parent, making access by the rejected parent difficult or impossible...
present or where one of the parties involved in the dispute has an implacable hostilityImplacable hostilityImplacable hostility arises after separation or divorce and denotes the attitude shown by one parent to another in denying access to, or contact with, their child...
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 charities such as Family Mediation and the WRVSWRVS
The WRVS is a voluntary organisation concerned with helping people in need throughout England, Scotland and Wales....
, or local churches and are not statutory institutions. The first contact centres in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
opened in 1988.
National Association of Child Contact Centres is the supporting membership body for around 350 child contact centres and services located throughout England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(including the Channel Isles), Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is the largest in Europe. A Nottingham magistrate, Mary Lower, founded the first child contact centre for private law. She went on to form the National Association and is the President. Mary is supported by five Vice Presidents and two patrons - Sir Nicholas Wall and Lord Alton of Liverpool. Now an established charity and company limited by guarantee, NACCC has a board of trustees chaired by Dr Mike Dornan. The team of office and regional staff are led by the Chief Executive, Yvonne Kee.
Families are referred by the courts, CAFCASS
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service is a non-departmental public body for England and Wales set up to safeguard and promote the welfare of children involved in family court proceedings...
officers, family mediators
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
and social workers.
Australia
Children's Contact Services (CCS) are funded under the Government of AustraliaGovernment of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
's "Family Relationship Services Program" (FRSP). The services help with handover of children and also provide supervised contact.
At 1 February 2004 there were 35 FRSP-funded Children's Contact Services and a number of non-Australian Government funded services.
See also
- Child custodyChild custodyChild custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
- Supervised visitationSupervised visitationSupervised visitation allows parents in high conflict or high risk situations access to their children in a safe and supervised environment. The noncustodial parent has access the child only when supervised by another adult...
- Fathers' rightsFathers' rightsThe fathers' rights movement is a movement whose members are primarily interested in issues related to family law, including child custody and child support that affect fathers and their children. Many of its members are fathers who desire to share the parenting of their children equally with their...
- Parenting planParenting planA Parenting Plan or Custody Agreement is required by the district court along with divorce paperwork when parents divorce or separate. A Parenting Plan allows parents to avoid future conflicts arising from a lack of guidelines in dealing with responsibilities relating to the children...
- Relationships AustraliaRelationships AustraliaRelationships Australia began in 1948 under the name of Marriage Guidance Council. They are an Australian not-for profit organisation providing professional services to support relationships across Australia....
- Residence in English lawResidence in English family lawResidence is a term used to refer to not always similar concepts in various parts of English law including taxation, immigration, and family law. The remainder of this article deals exclusively with English family law...
- Shared parentingShared parentingShared parenting refers to a collaborative arrangement in child custody or divorce determinations in which the care of the children is equal or more than substantially shared between the biological parents.- Nature and History :...
- Shared residency in English lawShared residency in English lawShared residence, or joint residence, refers to the situation where the child of parents who have divorced or separated reside with each parent at different times, and each parent has equal status in law. In English family law s8 Children Act 1989 defines a residence order as one "...settling the...