1 December 2014
Dear MP
It is a fact that every year around 350,000 children in the UK are affected by parental separation. Loss of parental contact, or being drawn into parental conflict, can be especially damaging; and there is well documented evidence of the negative effects upon children’s academic success, behaviour, psychological well-being and life chances. Children in this situation are more likely to do less well at school, to truant or to run away from home; but these risks can be greatly reduced if parents can resolve issues in an amicable fashion.
Founded almost 30 years ago, the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) is a registered charity that works to improve the safety and quality of the national network of 403 child contact centres.23 of these centres are in Wales. NACCC achieves its aims by accrediting centres to work to a set of national standards, supported by a training programme. NACCC acts as a membership body and does not run centres – they are operated by a wide range of organisations (usually from the voluntary sector), and are independent of the courts, social services or any statutory agency. The majority of our effort is focused on the 360 volunteer-run ‘supported’ contact centres which are suitable for families that are deemed to present minimal risk of violence or abuse. In some cases, a higher level of supervision is needed because a child or parent is at risk of harm – ‘supervised’ contact centres are used in these situations.
Contact Centres nationally work with around 15,000 children which equates to 9,000 families. If contact centres did not exist many of these children would not have contact with both parents. Contact centres provide a warm, welcoming environment especially in the winter months, that is neutral which is particularly important for parents in conflict.
The NACCC urgently needs funds to maintain and build a strong organisation that can support contact centres in their work with children and parents. It is essential that the NACCC receives sufficient funding to maintain the flexibility and responsiveness needed to meet changing circumstances.
Specifically, changes in family law have brought with it new challenges for children and parents wishing to deal with complex contact problems. The Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 has led to an increased workload for courts, with parents acting as Litigants in Person who are, at the same time, not able to access legal advice. As part of our proactive approach to address this type of challenge, NACCC has recently secured funding from the DWP Innovation Fund to look at ways of helping parents move on with their lives following separation. This is already showing clear success in getting parents to withdraw from court system to the point where they can complete Parenting Plans, facilitating management of their own contact arrangements with their children.
However, a lack of commitment to long term funding is putting the NACCC in jeopardy. The grant from the DWP is for only one year. Reliance however, on restricted programme grant money is no longer enough. Numerous Trust Funds and Grant making bodies have been approached, usually for very small amounts. As such, the NACCC is constantly facing closure. Nonetheless we are committed working creatively with Contact Centres to provide better and better services in a sector where resources for children and families are becoming scarcer.
The role the NACCC plays as an umbrella organisation supporting contact centres is critical. If the NACCC did not exist then:
•Disclosure and Barring Service checks would not be made
•Buildings might not be suitable
•Contact Centres would not have to follow regulated processes
•Volunteers would not be vetted or trained
•There would be less contact between children and parents
•There would be no helpline including the Safeguarding helpline
This could lead to ad hoc contact arrangements and might expose children to unnecessary risks.
We have recently initiated discussions with the Ministry of Justice but given the circumstances above, it is vital for NACCC and Contact Centres to understand what, if any, governmental support is available. Funding for the whole network and support in the form of grants to Contact Centres, was previously allocated by Cafcass, but we now have real fears that there might be no funding at all. This might cause many centres to close.
If the government were to apply the brand new “Family Test”, where policies are measured against the impact they have on the formation of stable families, parenting and caring duties and the risk of breakdown and separation, closure of the NACCC would be an unacceptable outcome.
As CEO of the NACCC, I would like to request an urgent meeting to discuss how the government can secure long-term funding to support this vital local service nationally and in your own constituency. Iwould also be grateful if you would support Early day Motion 581which has been sponsored by Elfyn Llwyd relation to this issue. In Wales NACCC oversees the Child Contact Centres that receive funding from the Welsh Government via CAFCASS Cymru and the Wales Network Manager is Pauline Lowe , 07872 161694. She would be pleased to meet with you to discuss any local issues.
I would also welcome your support in our forthcoming publicity campaign in the New Year. Irrespective of the size of the challenge, we are committed to improving children’s life chances.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Elizabeth Coe
CEO
National Association of Child Contact Centres