Program Guidelines

Our Program Guidelines state the following.

Children’s contact services enable children of separated parents who are unable to manage their own changeovers or will not agree to unsupervised visits because of perceived or actual risk to the child or vulnerable parent, to re-establish or maintain contact with their non-residential parent where this is appropriate and possible.

At all times, staff providing children’s contact services must discharge their responsibilities to children as the primary client group, ensuring that the children’s best interests are kept at the Centre of the contact process. Services should only accept cases after careful assessment and where they consider that their facilities and resources allow them to deliver services that are safe and appropriate for all parties.

Changeovers

The TCCC promotes the safe and appropriate transfer of children between residential and non-residential parents.  Parents arrive at the Centre at the scheduled time, using their allocated entrance and carpark, and a TCCC staff member will escort the children to the other parent. This Centre has separate car parks and entrances to the building and parents do not have to come into contact with each other if they do not wish to. We ask that parents do not arrive more than 10 minutes prior to the start of the visit, and leave within 10 minutes of the changeover occurring.

This Service is available for changeovers 7 days a week from 9.00am until 5.00pm.Special arrangements are in place for public holidays and a list of these opening times can be viewed here.

Supervision

The TCCC provides the opportunity for  safe and appropriate interaction between the non-residential parent and children during contact visits. Each parent attends the TCCC at the agreed time using their allocated entrance and carpark.  A Family Support Worker will accompany the children to the other parent and will then remain with the family at all times and may offer support or intervene in the visit if required. The same conditions apply as for changeovers, with two separate waiting areas for the residential and non-residential parents

This Centre offers contact visits 7 days a week between 9.00am and 5.00pm. Visits are generally 2 hours in duration but this is dependent on a number of factors including the age of the child, the frequency of the visits and the availability of resources.