Contact Centre Services for Children.

Contact Centre Services for Children.

In court proceedings relating to arrangements for children, the Court may make a court order that requires the place where the children changeover from spending time with one parent to the other parent or where a child is to spend supervised time with a parent, to take place at a Children’s Contact Center. This is often the case where there has been domestic violence or one or either parent are unable to conduct themselves appropriately in the changeover when the children are present. In some cases the Court considers that it is in the children’s best interests that the parents do not come into contact with each other or there is concern as to the safety of the children. 

The Children’s Contact Centre staff make records of their observations of the contact between the children and each parent and of any incidents which may occur and conversations between the staff and the children or any notable comments that the children may make. These records may be produced to the Court in evidence under a subpoena, by either party involved in the court proceedings. Often the records made by the Children’s Contact Centre staff are the only significant evidence that the Judge has to consider what parenting arrangements are in the best interests of the children.

Not all Children’s Contact Centres are the same.  There are presently 65 Children’s Contact Centres in Australia funded by the Federal Government which are required to meet 15 government funding approval standards. There are also a number of privately operated Children’s Contact Centres, some of which are a members of the Australia Children Contact Service Association. The privately operated Children’s Contact Services are not required to comply with regulations and are not answerable to a statutory authority or jurisdiction of ombudsman and there is no authority that oversees the operation. In Queensland the government funded Children’s Contact Centres provide a subsidy for parents who are either in receipt of government benefits or low income earners however most of these centres have long waiting times for commencement of services. 

When considering which Children’s Contact Centre is right for you (and your children) you should consider:

a) Safety – government funded Children’s Contact Centres conduct an assessment of each parent as to the suitability of the Children’s Contact Centre to provide the services necessary for the parenting arrangements. For example if there is a documented history of domestic violence then the Children’s Contact Centre can provide appropriate safety measures to ensure that the parties do no come into contact with each other or a party is not a risk of harm during the changeover. 

b) Cost- Private Children’s Contact Centres will take into account the cost of staff working week days or week end shifts and the running costs of the centers when deciding the cost for the service. 

c) Control – Private Children’s Contact Centres are not required to comply with operating procedures or regulations and there is no method of making a complaint if you have a problem with the way a service is being run. 

d) A record made by either a private or government operated Children’s Contact Centre can be subpoenaed and relied upon as evidence to the Court and as a result the protocols and competency of the Children’s Contact Centre to make accurate and unbiased records should be considered.