Supervised contact for children
Supervised contact sessions are for children who are looked after by the council and no longer live at home.
We provide a safe and friendly place for children to meet and have vital contact with their family. It is important for them to keep in touch with their family as, where possible, they will be going home soon.
Location
All sessions take place at our Coxford Road premises. We have dedicated meeting rooms, with toys for you and your child to play with. You will be told what time you need to be at the contact centre, before your child is collected from carers. The time of the session will fit in with your child's education and your own work pattern.
Getting to Coxford Road
The social worker can arrange your child's transport to and from contact. We expect parents to arrange their own transport. If you have a problem with this, please tell your child’s social worker. We may be able to offer financial support to attend contact.
The session
You will be expected to:
- Participate in the session and follow the contract for supervised contact
- Attend contact regularly
- Take responsibility for your children during contact (eg safety, behaviour)
- Notify Coxford Road as soon as possible if you are unable to attend and before the contact is due to take place
- Accept guidance from centre’s staff
- Help tidy the room after use
Contact sessions are private but a contact supervisor will be present. They will ensure that children are safe and offer advice.
The supervisor will make notes for your child's social worker and can speak to them for you. The supervisor will not be familiar with your case, so you should direct any questions to the social worker.
Cancellation and non-attendance
We may need to cancel contact if your child is ill or has a medical/school appointment. If this happens, we will inform you as quickly as we can.
If you fail to attend for three consecutive sessions and do not tell us the reason why you cannot attend, contact will be stopped. You will then need to meet with the social worker and reach a new contact agreement.
