ABOUT CONTACT CENTRES...

What is a contact centre?

In a nutshell: A place where a parent/relative can meet the child(ren) that he/she wishes to see.

Contact centres are child centred and provide an impartial and independent service.

They do not provide supervised contact and therefore do not provide reports on the quality of contact between parents and children.

Contact centre services are available to all families regardless of creed, ethnic origin, and financial or other circumstances of disadvantage.

In accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, contact centres operate from the belief that children have a right to a relationship with both their parents.

Unless there are compelling reasons to do otherwise, contact centres exist to support the relationship between children and non-residential parents.

The Children (Scotland) Act 1995: -

• Defines the relationship between parents and children in terms of parental responsibilities
• States parents who do not live with their children have a parental responsibility and right "to maintain personal relations and direct contact with the child on a regular basis."
• States parents have a duty to have regard to the views of the other parent and the views of the child concerned before making a major decision involving the child.

The need for contact centres has arisen from the knowledge gained from research, which demonstrates that children who lose all contact with one parent or significant individual after separation or divorce are likely to experience deleterious effects.

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