Promoting safe child contact within a National Framework of child contact centres and services

NACCC Best Practice Manual for Supervised Contact Centres/Services - The Way Forward

Supervised contact ensures the physical safety and emotional well being of a child. It also assists in building and sustaining positive relationships between a child and members of their non-resident family.
This requires supervisors who are skilled and confident enough to intervene immediately and firmly if necessary and can work professionally in a planned way with vulnerable children and highly distressed adults.

National Association of child contact centres and services

1 Heritage Mews, High Pavement, Nottingham NG1 1HN

Telephone: 0845 450 0280

Fax: 0845 450 0420

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1st edition produced February 2011

All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2011 NACCC

Registered Charity no. 1078636

Company Limited by Guarantee No. 3886023 (Registered in England & Wales)

Foreword & Section One – Setting the Scene

Part One – What is supervised contact?

Part Two – NACCC’s involvement with supervised contact

Part Three – A wider agenda in relation to children and supervised contact

Foreword

Why is contact important?

What is the purpose of contact for the child?

How should contact be approached and managed?

1. What is supervised contact?

Introduction

Standard Definition of Supervised Child Contact

Definitions of services provided by supervised contact centres

Indirect Contact

Escorted Contact

Life Story/Identity Contact

Supervised Contact (Observed, Recorded and Reported)

Contact Assessments

Examples of practice within supervised child contact centres

Counselling

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Anger Management

Art Psychotherapy

Family Therapy

Parenting Information Programmes

Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes

2. NACCC’s involvement with Supervised Contact

NACCC’s National Standards for Child Contact Centres offering Supervised Contact

Updated and Revised Checklist for Accreditation Assessor to review and assess portfolio submitted by centre

Updated and Revised Financial Checklist for Finance Officer to review and assess portfolio submitted by centre

NACCC Accreditation of Child Contact Centres and Services Health and Safety Checklist

NACCC Accreditation of Child Contact Centres and Services Case File Analysis

NACCC Accreditation of Child Contact Centres and Services Evidence Based Practice Exercise

NACCC Accreditation of Child Contact Centres and Services Reflective Practice Exercise

NACCC Enhanced Accreditation HR File Analysis

Practice Review of Child Contact Centres/Servicers Accredited by NACCC and Receiving Funding from CAFCASS

HR File Analysis

Checklist for Enhanced Accreditation With Supervised Contact Centre in Wales

Guidance Notes

3.A wider agenda in relation to children and supervised contact

Every Child Matters - Five outcomes and accompanying targets

Introduction

Be Healthy

Staying Safe

Enjoy and achieve

Making a positive contribution

Achieve economic wellbeing

CAF Guidelines

CAF Form

Rights to Action – the Every Child Matters agenda in Wales

The Common Assessment Framework – CAF

Introduction

Foreword

“Respect the right of the child who is separated from one or both parents to maintain personal relations and direct contact with both parents on a regular basis, except if it is contrary to the child’s best interests.”

Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

When children can give their views without feeling pressured, most will not want to lose contact with a parent or anyone else important to them. Children have the right to respect for family life and there must be a very good reason for a court to remove that right from a child. This right is set out in Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (see quote above).

Why is contact important?

Ongoing contact with parents and others is important for children to:

  • Meet their psychological and emotional needs
  • Improve their well-being, self-confidence and self esteem
  • Help them share and understand their ethnic, cultural, genetic and medical backgrounds
  • Make sure they are comfortable and safe
  • Give them the freedom to have and enjoy their important relationships

What is the purpose of contact for the child?

  • It can help the child maintain important emotional and psychological bonds with relatives and friends
  • Provide stability for the child in care / at home, and a source of support in young adulthood
  • Help the child to develop a sense of identity and belonging
  • Help build the child’s sense of self worth and self esteem
  • Increase the likelihood of the child returning home successfully or having unrestricted contact
  • Help the child develop a sound understanding of the reasons of separation and the adult’s responsibility for this
  • Provide a safe environment for the child away from home.

How should contact be approached and managed?

Make sure children get the best from their contact by:

  • Putting children’s needs first
  • Planning for each child’s different needs
  • Informing and listening carefully to children
  • Keeping children safe and feeling safe
  • Trying to agree and co-operate
  • Allowing for different views about parenting
  • Being imaginative about contact arrangements.
  • Avoiding delays in arranging contact
  • Ensuring children know what to expect and are not exposed to sudden changes unless it is unavoidable.

1. What is supervised contact?

Introduction

There can often be confusion about what type of contact different child contact services provide. This confusion can result in a number of inappropriate referrals to child contact services. The Child Contact Centre Working Group [subsequently called the ‘Child Contact Centre Implementation Group (CCCIG)’] prepared the definitions of supervised contact that follows.

The definition was circulated by the Lord Chancellor’s Department to CAFCASS, members of the judiciary, children’s services departments, Resolution and a number of other statutory and voluntary organisations.

Standard Definition of Supervised Child Contact

A Supervised Child Contact Centre should be used when it has been determined that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering harm during contact. Referrals will usually be made by a court, CAFCASS officer, local authority or another child contact centre, but in exceptional circumstances a Child Contact Centre may accept a self-referral. Supervised contact ensures the physical safety and emotional well being of a child. It also assists in building and sustaining positive relationships between a child and members of their non-resident family. This requires supervisors who are skilled and confident enough to intervene immediately and firmly if necessary and can work professionally in a planned way with vulnerable children and highly distressed adults.

Supervised contact requires the following:

  • Individual supervision of contact with the supervisor in constant sight and sound of the child, which in turn requires that they have the support of a nearby colleague.
  • A high commitment of resources including continuity of supervision and the professional oversight of staff.
  • The supervisor and the Centre having access to all relevant court papers and transcripts of any judgments in order to supervise effectively.
  • All contact to be closely observed and recorded in a manner appropriate to the purpose of protecting children and working in a planned way with parents.
  • A venue that provides privacy and confidentiality to each child and family and is structured to provide maximum safety to all concerned and maximum stimulation for children.
  • Contact is time limited with a planned aim to regularly assess and review progress and the possibility of safer future outcomes.

The level of supervision may be reduced in a planned way after a professional assessment has been made. Some families, after being assessed, may move from constant supervision to an intermediate level of supervision, escorted outings, or supported or unrestricted contact, while others will always need the security of full supervision.

Supervised contact is provided by a variety of agencies; in the voluntary sector; within local authorities and by ‘for profit’ companies. Facilities will therefore vary, and different models will be offered.

Definitions of services provided by supervised contact centres

Indirect Contact

This is used where direct contact is either unsafe, unworkable and or not in child(ren)’s best interests. Child (ren) having contact with their non resident parent through a third party by way of letters, cards, gifts and emails. Two members of staff will be responsible for supervising and managing each case. They will work closely with the child to determine the type and frequency of indirect contact that safeguards and promotes a child(ren)’s best interests. The Practitioner will agree what needs to be included in a report back to the referrer including details of the type of contact, the child(ren)’s reaction to it, any problems that arose and any changes that need to be considered or made to the type and frequency of contact.

Escorted Contact

Introduced once a regular, safe and sustainable pattern of contact has been established within a child contact centre or elsewhere. Involving the child(ren) and non-resident parent being accompanied on visits to places such as local parks, shops and restaurants by two members of staff from the service. The members of staff responsible for managing and supervising the contact will work closely with the referrer and the family to ensure that the transport arrangements and places being visited are both safe and meet the needs of the child(ren) involved in the contact. They will also prepare and submit a short report to the referrer within an agreed timescale. This report will give details of the place visited, the child(ren)’s reaction to the visit, the non resident parents understanding of and ability to meet the child(ren)’s needs, any problems that arose and any changes that need to be made to the arrangements for future visits.

Life Story/Identity Contact

Used where a child (ren) have no knowledge of or have not had any contact with their non-resident parent for sometime. The work will be undertaken as agreed with the referrer at the point of referral. It will focus upon establishing and then building upon what a child(ren) know about their family. The members of staff responsible for delivering the service/programme will also prepare and submit a short report to the referrer as agreed upon referral. This report will give details of the work that has been undertaken, the child(ren)’s reaction to it, any problems that arose and what if any changes need to be made in advance of the programme proceeding further.

Supervised Contact (Observed, Recorded and Reported)

Used to test and monitor the progress of arrangements made for contact. The level and frequency is to be agreed with the referrer. Two members of staff will be responsible for observing, recording and reporting upon the contact. They will be provided with and expected to use standard forms to do this. These will be completed in full and returned to the referrer within an agreed timescale.

Contact Assessments

Will identify the issues that have prevented contact from starting, caused it to breakdown or made it unworkable. They will be carried out over a period agreed by the referrer and include:

  • Interviews with both parents, either separately and or together
  • Interviews with any other adults involved either directly or indirectly in the contact process
  • Possible contact with statutory agencies involved with the adults and children such as doctors, health visitors and schools.

Work will also be undertaken with the child (ren). The nature and extent of this work will be dependent upon the child(ren)’s age(s) and level of understanding it will include time spent without either of their parents present and if it is agreed and appropriate sessions of contact with their non-resident parent. The centre’s qualified social worker will be responsible for writing a report for the referrer. It will be submitted to the referrer that made the initial referral within the time frame agreed.

Examples of practice within supervised child contact centres

Therapeutic interventions and assessments are available for children, adults and families caught up in painful separation or situations of conflict. Supervised child contact centres work in this way to assist parents to act in the best interests of their children. Children can emerge from family breakdown or other life transitions without long-term difficulties if parents are properly placed to support them.

Counselling

Counselling is a process that enables a person to sort out issues and reach decisions about things affecting their life. Often counselling is sought out at times of change or crisis. It involves talking with a person in a way that helps them solve a problem or helps to create conditions that will cause the person to understand and/or improve their behaviour, character, values or life circumstances.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a structured form of counselling. It involves recognising the connection between behaviours, thoughts and feelings. The basis of CBT is that what people think affects how they feel emotionally and also alters what they do. CBT is a useful approach for those struggling with anxiety or people who want to better manage their anxiety; it can also be used to increase parenting skills.

Anger Management

Parents can attend individually or – when available – as members of a group. Anger Management assists parents in identifying triggers for angry or aggressive behaviours and developing techniques to avoid these behaviours. Parents are encouraged to understand how anger can impact on children and develop alternative mechanisms for coping with angry feelings. Anger Management makes use of the CBT techniques described above.

Art Psychotherapy

Art Psychotherapy provides a secure clinical framework in which children have an opportunity for expression, exploration and change. The work addresses emotional, psychological and developmental needs. Children struggling with traumatic experiences around family separation are assisted in better understanding themselves and in processing some of their confusion or strong feelings about what has happened to them, through the medium of art.

Family Therapy

The Family Therapist works in ways that not only support change in individuals but also in their relationships within the family. Working with families, with individual children and adults and couples, the Family Therapist promotes understanding of the relationship between individual well-being and family functioning and family dynamics. By supporting strength and resilience in families and their communities of family therapy can assist in the recovery from trauma and the impact of family breakdown or separation.

Parenting Information Programmes

Parenting Information Programmes (PIPs) were introduced as part of the Fostering and Adoption Act 2006. The programmes help parents to learn how to lessen the impact of separation upon their children. They are suitable when parents are having difficulties focusing upon their children’s needs because of:

  • Ongoing conflict
  • Difficulties with communication.

PIPs are not suitable when there are safeguarding concerns about the children or their parents. The programme is delivered by trained facilitators at venues throughout the country. Parents are asked to attend two two-hour sessions, or one four-hour session separately in mixed sex groups or up to twelve people. Through the use of scenarios the programme focuses upon:

  • The divorce and separation process
  • What children need
  • Parental communication
  • Managing emotions.

Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes

These programmes involve structured group or individual activities for perpetrators of domestic violence. They support perpetrators to address the attitudes and beliefs, which underpin their abusive behaviour. They also challenge, stop and prevent further violence and hold perpetrators accountable for their violence.

‘Respect’ provide accreditation for domestic violence perpetrator programmes. They are a membership association whose key focus is on ‘increasing the safety and well being of victims by promoting, supporting, delivering and developing effective interventions with perpetrators”. Please see for further details.

2. NACCC’s involvement with Supervised Contact

NACCC’s categories of membership for supervised child contact centres and services

NACCC has a different category of accreditation for centres and services that provide supervised contact. All centres offering supervised contact must achieve enhanced accreditation.
The categories of membership are as follows:

FullMembership – for all not-for-profit NACCC child contact centres, who offer direct services and who meet the conditions and criteria for accreditation and membership. Those applying for full membership must be a ‘not for profit’ organisation. Membership subscriptions will be paid on an annual basis. Accreditation must be renewed every 3 years.

Associate Membership– for potential member child contact centres who do not fully meet the conditions and criteria for full membership, but who wish to access the support structures offered by NACCC and the Child Contact Centre network. For safety reasons the full Membership Criteria should be achieved before a child Contact Centre accepts referrals. Those applying for associate membership must be a ‘not for profit’ organisation and during the initial 8 month period the accreditation goals must be achieved and subsequently maintained.

Associate Commercial Membership – for potential ‘for profit’ member child contact centres who do not fully meet the conditions and criteria for accreditation and full commercial membership, but who wish to access the support structures offered by NACCC and the Child Contact Centre network. For safety reasons the Full Commercial Membership Criteria should be achieved before a Child Contact Centre accepts referrals.