Leicester Family Contact Centre
St Martins House, 7 Peacock Lane, Leicester LE1 5PX
Referrals
Information for Referrers
General Information
What is the Centre?
The Family Contact Centre is a place for children to meet with their parents and other family from whom they are separated from after family breakdown. The Centre is a voluntary project recognised by CAFCASS and provides a safe and secure environment. The Centre provides non-supervised contact.
When and where is it open?
The Centre – open from 12.50pm-4pm every Saturday – is located at St Martins House, 7 Peacock Lane, Leicester LE1 5PX.
Referrals can be made to the Coordinator during office hours, however, please remember she is also a volunteer and is not always available (there is an answer-phone).
What does it offer?
- A welcoming place where children and parents can meet after family breakdown until it proves possible for parents to make more suitable arrangements for ongoing contact.
- A neutral venue staffed by volunteers who welcome families, provide refreshments, keep a record of attendance, and who – for the children’s sakes – do not take sides.
- A place where children’s needs take priority. The aim of the Centre is to make this valuable time together easier and more enjoyable for the children.
- A welcome for people from all backgrounds to use or assist in the running of the Centre. If interpretation is needed on a family’s first visit to the Centre the family must make their own arrangements for an interpreter.
- The Centre is able to support contact in a number of ways described. However it does not ‘supervise’ contact – it does not make judgements about the quality of contact, and does not make reports to the court or any other agency. If this is required, inquiries should be made to CAFCASS. See contact-definitions
Do I have to pay anything?
There is a £20 fee for referrals, this is a one-off payment (there are no other charges). For bank transfer, please ask the co-ordinator for bank details. Cash or cheque should be made payable to Leicester Contact Centre, and sent together with the referral form to:
Leicester Family Contact Centre
P.O. BOX 7150
Leicester
LE3 0YY
Arrangements
It is vital that both parties reach agreement on the arrangements for contact before they attend. This includes the times, dates and duration of contact, any handover arrangements, whether a child can be taken out from the Centre, and who is to be included in the contact. In particular, it should be remembered that :-
- It is often helpful for the resident parent to withdraw from the room once the child has settled. A separate room is provided for parents who do not wish to leave the Centre.
- Pre-visits for each party are essential, to allow the children and parents to become familiar with the location and facilities.
- Pre-visits are by appointment only.
- If the parents do not wish to meet then the centre will arrange for staggered arrival and departure times.
- Adequate notice needs to be given before the first planned visit to allow arrangements to be confirmed.
- The first planned visit is limited to one hour.
The Centre is a short term resource. As the referrer you will be asked to review the family’s need to attend the Centre after an agreed period – usually 3 months
Which parents might wish to use it?
- Where one parent lacks suitable accommodation for visits.
- Where the children involved are infants and confidence in handling them needs to be established in a supportive and friendly environment.
- Where relationships have become strained and contact needs testing and gently re-establishing before it can be continued on a normal basis.
Can the Court order contact at the centre?
Yes, provided that the order is worded subject to the agreement of the Contact Centre and the availability of places.
The Contact Centre operates to an agreed set of policies as listed below. These can be viewed at the Centre, or on request can be provided by the Coordinator:
- Child Protection Policy
- Confidentiality Policy
- Complaints Procedure
- Health and Safety Policy
- Fire Drill
- Equal Opportunities Statement
- Domestic Violence Policy
Can the centre deal with all situations?
Regrettably the answer to this is no. For some families the risks of domestic violence, child abuse, or abduction will be so great as to merit supervised contact by professionals. In less serious cases the Centre will make a judgement (with reference to the appropriate authorities) as to whether it can accept a referral. The final decision as to whether a referral can be accepted rests with the Management Committee. Referrers are asked to indicate any such concerns on the referral form, agreed by both parties. If the referral is being made from a directions hearing, then any such concerns must first be discussed with the CAFCASS officer.
Confidentiality
The Centre will on request make available a report on the times and dates that families attend. Other information will generally be treated as confidential in order to maintain the neutrality of the Centre. However the referrer will be contacted if events require that the place has to be withdrawn. In addition, the Centre reserves the right to report concerns to the relevant agencies if there is an assault on the premises, or if there are concerns about the safety of a child. Please do not send personal details by email, as this is not a secure form of communication.
How long will I have to wait?
We hope to start families within 8 weeks of receiving a completed referral form. The initial contact offered is for an hour, but can be prolonged to 2 hours as and when space allows.
How do I get a referral form?
A copy of the referral form can be downloaded below, please complete an electronic form and return to info@leicesterfamilycc.org.uk.
Or you can return a printed and completed copy to the contact centre.
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