what is a Children’s Contact Service?
A Children's Contact Centre is a place for separated parents to engage in safe and friendly change-over and change-back in a relaxed, family environment.
The Centre is also for situations where things have broken down so badly that the children are allowed to be with one of their parents only under supervision. For this, the Centre is designed as a place where parents and children can play, read stories or just sit and talk together in a pleasant, relaxed and home-like environment. Our trained workers supervise visits in a way that is unobtrusive and low-profile. They are, however, quick to help support a child's comfort in difficult or tense situations that can sometimes arise.
Grandparents and others important to the children who may have been caught in the crossfire between the parents, are welcomed and assisted to continue or re-establish relationships with the children. In situations where there has been a long period of separation between children and a parent, or a grandparent, the Centre provides the space and the expertise to assist the children and adult to get to know each other again.
how does the Centre work?
Once both parents, (or parties) have contacted the Centre, they will be asked to attend an interview separately from each other. This intake interview is where:
- matters of concern are discussed
- problems needing resolution are identified
- a schedule of visits to the Centre is arranged
Staff at the Centre recognise the often overwhelming difficulties that parents in these situations face. At the same time, staff know from years of experience, that eventually the children grow up, win prizes, graduate from high school, get married, have babies. Almost always, no matter how much water has gone under the bridge, the children want both parents involved in these important occasions. As impossible as it might seem to many newly separated parents, children do best when they have the love and guidance of both parents. For this reason, the goal of the Centre is to help parents who can't manage children's contact arrangements by themselves, to take the first small step towards making it easy for their children to have a relationship with both parents.
Once accepted into the service, a case manager is allocated to assist both parents learn to manage the children's need for regular contact in a constructive way, and in a way that focuses on the needs of the children. This is Interrelate's goal and in signing up for the service, parents and carers are asked to make it their goal as well.
Please contact Interrelate at 1300 736 966 for your nearest centre