Following the referral, a preparatory session will be required with all parties involved, held separately where necessary. This session serves as an opportunity for you and your child(ren) to meet our staff, familiarise yourselves with the venue, and for us to discuss your case in detail. During this time, we will also complete any required paperwork.

The preparatory session is designed to ensure that all parties feel comfortable and informed before family time sessions commence. It also provides an opportunity for you to ask any questions or raise any concerns you may have regarding the process. In some cases, the preparatory work may be conducted on the same day as the initial meeting if this is appropriate and convenient for all parties involved. This work is charged at £35.00 per family.

Supervised Family Time

Supervised family time involves a specialist worker overseeing a child’s interaction with a non-resident family member. This service is often court-ordered during a safeguarding assessment and may form part of the overall assessment process. The role of the supervisor is to ensure the child’s physical safety and emotional well-being while facilitating the development and maintenance of positive relationships between the child and their non-resident family member. This service is especially valuable in situations where contact has been infrequent or non-existent for a significant period, or when the child may be resistant or highly anxious about the interaction.

We take a sensitive, child-centered approach, understanding that all parties may have concerns about attending the contact centre. To address this, we require mandatory preparation sessions before any contact begins. These sessions help children and family members become familiar with the environment and their allocated worker. The specialist worker observes and assesses the dynamics between the child and the parent or carer, providing detailed notes that contribute to a summary or comprehensive report. 

To ensure privacy and reduce potential tension, the centre is equipped with two separate entrances, allowing parents and carers to avoid direct contact. The allocated worker remains with the child throughout their time away from the primary carer, ensuring a consistent and supportive presence.

Sessions are conducted at the child’s pace, with the worker continually monitoring the child’s comfort and emotional state. If necessary, the worker can recommend adjustments to the session’s duration or overall arrangements before the scheduled review date to better meet the child’s needs.

Supported Contact

Supported contact offers a lower level of supervision compared to supervised contact, providing a safe and structured environment for family interactions. These sessions are exclusively conducted within the Family Time Centre and are not available in community venues.

This type of contact is suitable for families where there is no significant risk and serves as a transitional step towards families independently managing their contact arrangements without professional intervention.

A dedicated coordinator oversees the sessions, offering assistance and guidance when needed. However, there is no close observation, monitoring, or evaluation of the interactions or conversations that occur during these sessions.

If required, a record of attendance, including session dates, can be provided to both parties and any professionals involved. Please note that no detailed reports or summaries are generated as part of this service.

Supervised family time (Virtual Sessions)

Supervised contact can also take place virtually, using platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom, where a specialist worker supervises interactions between a child and a non-resident family member. This arrangement may be court-ordered as part of a safeguarding assessment and can contribute to the assessment process.

Virtual supervision ensures the physical safety and emotional well-being of the child while supporting parents or other family members in building and sustaining positive relationships. It is particularly beneficial for re-establishing relationships where contact has been infrequent or absent for a significant period, especially when the child feels resistant or anxious about reconnecting.

Our approach remains sensitive to the concerns all parties may have about the process and the use of virtual platforms. To address this, we provide mandatory preparation sessions before any virtual contact sessions. These sessions help children and family members become familiar with the platform, its features, and the allocated worker. The worker observes and assesses the interactions during the virtual session, making detailed notes that will form a summary or comprehensive report.

Virtual sessions are conducted in a secure and private online environment, with measures in place to protect the confidentiality and comfort of all participants. The allocated worker remains present for the duration of the session to supervise, support, and monitor the child's well-being.

The pace of the session is guided by the child's comfort level, with the worker closely observing their responses. If necessary, the worker may recommend adjustments to the session length or format to better meet the child's needs, even before the scheduled review date.

Handovers

Handovers can take place either in the community or at one of our centres and are arranged through the standard referral process.

Parents do not need to meet, as our specialist team of family time supervisors will manage the handover. The non-resident parent will then take the child out of the centre for the duration of the family time session and return them to the centre afterwards. If a community handover is preferred, arrangements can be made for the child to be picked up from and returned to another mutually agreed venue.

Handovers are designed to minimise conflict between separated parents in the presence of the child, helping to reduce any stress or anxiety the child may experience.

Professional support with child handovers can assist in easing a child’s anxiety related to parental conflict and facilitate the transition towards independent family time arrangements.