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T H E I N - H O U S EM A G A Z I N E O F

T H E N AT I O N A LA S S O C I AT I O N O F

C H I L D C O N TA C TC E N T R E S

M A T T E R S

CO-ORDINATORTRAINING BIG SUCCESS Page 9

FAMILIES NEED FATHERSSUPPORT CENTRES Page 8

MARATHON SUCCESSFOR ABINGDON CENTRE Page 7

HARRY BEAR WRITESTO ALL MPS Page 3

‘We go together likepeas and carrots’

Continued on back page

PASS IT ON

Why not leave me

on your registration desk

for staff to read?

So says Tom Hanks in the film, ‘Forrest Gump’.Which leads me to the theme that’s running through this issue of Contact Matters– that we do not work most effectively in isolation, but through working inpartnership with others.

This same logic is explored in the current Moving Families Forward training,during which participating centres look at signposting families to other sources ofsupport. Working with others adds richness to our work as well as benefiting thechildren and their parents.

Continued overleaf

Having been asked to support the setting up of ChildContact Centres in Anglican premises by Sir MarkPotter, His Grace the Archbishop of York visitedPudsey Child Contact Centre (Leeds) on Sunday25th May.

He met most of the volunteers, representatives fromCAFCASS and the Judiciary, together with Yvonne Keeand Judy Birchall from NACCC. His Grace was mostastute in his understanding of the position of ChildContact Centres and would like to encourage churchesin his area where there is a need. He has agreed to talkto Sir Mark again with a view to NACCC meeting withkey politicians.

Archbishop of York visits Pudsey centre

His Grace the Archbishop of Yorkwith Dianne Bell (Founder of PudseyChild Contact Centre), Judy Birchall(NACCC Support Manager – North)and District Judge John Flanagan.

’Honest differences are often asign of progress’(Mahatma Gandhi)Necessarily there will, of course,be differences. I often quote anearly lesson in my first week asChief Executive of NACCC. I hadreceived a letter from a women’sgroup, saying that our emphasison non-resident fathers meantthat our leaflets could not bedistributed to women affected bydomestic violence. In the samemailing was a newsletter fromFamilies Need Fathers (FNF),bemoaning the way that dads areforced to use child contactcentres. In individual cases, bothwere wrong and both were right.Since then we have introduced anew poster and attracted fundingfor a new book, with the motheras the non-resident parent.

We have built up a positiverelationship with Families NeedFathers and are looking atcollaborative ways of working.Of course, I must mentionCAFCASS too – the major playerin the world of contact, currentlyhaving a huge impact on centres.Here there is a new phase in anexisting relationship. Whilst thereis much still to be done, we are atleast sitting round the table,involved, consulted and able togive both negative and positivefeedback.

‘Why buy a book when you canjoin a library? (Ricky Gervais)In the background I know thatthose organisations with whichwe have built up a relationshipoccasionally do a PR job on ourbehalf, as we do for them.

We are able to share ideas andpractice. We can call on theirexpertise and views when weneed them. It works at both astructural and individual level.Often there is empathy andpersonal support there, allwrapped up in the organisationalbenefits.

‘We’re all working together –that’s the secret’(Sam Walton – founder ofWalmart)

So back to the beginning and thereminder that extra support andresources are there for yourtaking and sharing. In this issuewe explore some of theorganisations that could benefityour centre and your families.Yvonne Kee, Chief Executive

2 MATTERS Summer ISSUE•2007/2008

Extra support and resources arethere for your taking and sharing

Support and resources factfile (to be continued)

Families Need Fathers is a registered UK charity which provides information and support toparents, including unmarried parents, of either sex. FNF is chiefly concerned with the problemsof maintaining a child’s relationship with both parents during and after family breakdown.Founded in 1974, FNF helps thousands of parents every year. Helpline: 08707 607 496(6pm-10pm weekdays), www.fnf.org.uk

The Family and Parenting Institute is the leading centre of expertise on families and parenting inthe UK. Families, in all their diversity, form the basis of our society and the foundation for thefuture. Our mission is to support them in bringing up children. Tel: 020 7424 3460,www.familyandparenting.org

The Fatherhood Institute (charity reg. no. 1075104) is the UK’s fatherhood think tank. It collatesinternational research on fatherhood and lobbies for evidence-based changes in national andlocal family policy; contributes to the public debate on fathers; and trains commissioners andproviders of family services in father-inclusive practice. Tel: 0845 634 1328,www.fatherhoodinstitute.org

Mothers Apart from Their Children (MATCH) offers non-judgemental support to mothers andgrandmothers apart from children as a result of fostering, adoption, abduction abroad, rowswith adult children, and alienation after family breakdown. Support is possible throughcontributing painfully acquired experience and wisdom to our quarterly newsletter, emailsupport groups, and some local groups. www.matchmothers.org MATCH, BM Box No. 6334,London WC1N 3XX.

Women’s Aid is the national charity working to end domestic violence against women andchildren. Our two websites; www.womensaid.org and www.thehideout.org.uk and the 08082000 247 Freephone 24 Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline (run in partnership withRefuge), provide women and children with the confidential support and information they need.

Continued from front page

3MATTERSSummer ISSUE•2007/2008

squeaky wheel (skwi:ki wi:l) a repetitive scratchy sound created by the NACCC wheelmoving in a circular motion through Government to keep in mind the importance of thechildren’s safety using Child Contact Centres.

Squeaky wheel

Keep the wheel turning and keep letting us know what tracks you have made!

Solihull Child Contact Centrerecently opened an additionalcentre at the far side of theborough some 13 miles away, toassist clients living in an areawhere public transport isextremely unhelpful.

Knowing that church halls etc.sometimes don’t provide anappropriate venue, we madeefforts to find premises that weretailor-made from the outset.Our centre in south Solihull hadmoved from local authority hall toCVS premises to church hall untilwe were lucky enough to find aFamily Centre willing to give us ahome, so we realised what adifference child-friendly premisescould make.

I had heard about Children’sCentres being built so Iapproached the manager of theone in the area where we werelooking. What a revelation!She knew about Contact Centresand told me straight away that

her premises were a communityfacility and should be used by thecommunity whenever possible,especially at weekends when theywere usually empty. No obstacleswere put in our way andarrangements were soon made togive us keys so that we could usevirtually all the rooms werequired.

I had spent some time raisingthe funds to open this secondcentre, thinking I would need tocover items such as toys, rent,insurance etc., but much to mysurprise no rent or extra insurancewas required and the centre wasbursting with toys for childrenup to the age of five. I have hadto buy books and games etc.for our older children and havebeen able to use the rest of themoney raised on recruitment andtraining of volunteers. We havethe opportunity to use threedifferent contact rooms, twowaiting rooms, child and adulttoilets and kitchen.

Each week I breathe a sigh ofrelief that I don’t have to worryabout disability discrimination orhealth & safety because I knowthese have largely been taken careof and the centre has been set-upwith the needs of young people inmind. The volunteers love the factthat they don’t have to get outtoys or put them away at the endof a contact session!

I may have been lucky to find aChildren’s Centre manager withsuch an open-minded attitude tovoluntary community groups; thecentre is run by NationalChildren’s Homes for Sure Start.However, if you are managing inless than ideal premises andstruggle to make them child-friendly, I would stronglyrecommend an approach to yourlocal Children’s Centre; theopportunity to better meet theneeds of all your users is worththe risk!Ann Hunt, Chair, Solihull ChildContact Centres

Children’s Centres could meet your needs

April 2008

“The work of Child Contact Centres is as important as theNHS in its effect on the health of the nation”

Mr Justice Coleridge (keynote speaker at the Resolutionconference) called on the Government to fund theexpansion of Child Contact Centres so that children roundthe country can continue to see non-resident parents in asafe venue. He said that there is a “terrible shortage ofchild contact centres. Those wonderful, small organisationsstaffed often by dedicated volunteers, are unable toprovide enough space in a reasonable time so that childrencan see their non resident parents safely, in cases wherethere is a risk or other need for some supervision.”

May 2008

Harry Bear writesto all MPs

Harry Bear (Membearof Parliament) haswritten to all MPs toshare his experienceof the <imaginary>centre in Dudbury and the threat(s) to its funding. He saidhow helpful NACCC had been and invited them to get intouch, particularly if their local centre was facing similardifficulties. www.harrybearforparliament.org.ukGraham Allen MP arranged a meeting at Westminsterwhere our CEO was introduced to Harry’s GhostwriterRichard Heller.

The track of the squeaky wheel since the last issue of Contact Matters…

Special Interest Groups

Summer ISSUE•2007/20084 MATTERS

Those practitioners registered as learners on thePro-Contact Award (and others) have had variousopportunities to attend training events whereinevitably people exchange views and ideas.Most successful was the training in ParentalAlienation that was well attended as it coincidedwith a Network meeting around the commissioningprocess.

We have not yet returned to using the Network asan agent of support and training but it has beenwell used as a mobilising and campaigning vehicle.We have maintained strong links, especially locallyin the North, through the complex and at timesdistressing process of CAFCASS commissioning.We met on 6th May in Huddersfield to prepare ourconcerns and questions for the CAFCASS contractsconference on 13th May. Yvonne and Judy fromNACCC attended and took a special interest inmaking sure the range of opinion was recorded.It was heartening to learn that most contact

services shared similar concerns, which are aroundqualification requirements, intellectual property,compact-compliance and specific terms andconditions. Huddersfield contact service is housed ina lovely centre, which was well-worth seeing asidefrom the purpose of the meeting.

Though our version of North stretches down toStoke and occasionally beyond, we are conscious ofhaving less input from services in the Deep South.Although travel makes attendance at eventsdifficult we would encourage email communicationand certainly extend an invitation to anyone to getinvolved. Our focus for the next few months will beto keep supporting each other through theCAFCASS commissioning, to return to some of ouroriginal objectives and to strengthen and formaliseour position as a special interest group withinNACCC.Salli Ward, CEO Pro-Contact

Professionals Network

The last few months have been very busy for theChild Contact Centres in Northern Ireland. Havingwaited for government funding, there was a greatflurry of activity when it arrived, makingapplications, filling in forms, getting the moneyspent by the end of March! The DHSSPS have alsoagreed to fund a media/PR campaign in NorthernIreland regarding Child Contact Centres. This hasenabled us to work with a PR company to producea logo, general leaflet about the Northern IrelandNetwork and an information leaflet for children.NACCC very kindly allowed us to use the graphicsthey already had for NACCC publications.

The campaign will also include advertising on thelarge roadside billboards across Northern Irelandand perhaps a short radio advertisement that willrun for several weeks. The funding also enabledrepresentatives from each of the Centres to attendthe residential NACCC Coordinators’ training thatwas very much appreciated (see page 9). Severalcentres have now opened sessions midweek as wellas Saturdays and have also opened outreachsessions in nearby towns. So, it has certainly felt asif a lot has been happening in a short space oftime.Muriel Orr on behalf of the Northern IrelandNetwork of Child Contact Centres

Funding flurry of activity Northern Ireland Network

The meeting on 15th March was well attended withrepresentation from the whole of Wales for thefirst time. The meeting was pleased to feel we havebetter links with NACCC via the Board. We are toexplore the possibility of charitable registration forthe Network. We identified the need to extendmembership of the Network (on the NorthernIreland model) to include some influential members(for example, the judiciary) which would beessential to gain access to the Welsh AssemblyGovernment (WAG). It is also hoped to have NACCCand CAFCASS representation at some meetings.

I feel confident that the development of this groupwill progress within the aims and policies of NACCC,and in consultation with NACCC. There is a feelingin the group that progress should be made in orderto respond to the political map of Wales – and theincreasing powers (particularly fiscal) of the WAG.The Network is developing a sense of identity – themeeting appointed Alex Jaundrill as permanentChair (previously alternated North/South) – theminute taking task will continue to alternate.Alex Jaundrill on behalf of Child Contact Centres inWales

Welsh NetworkWhole of Wales represented at Network meeting

Strong links forge support for the future

Summer ISSUE•2007/2008 5MATTERS

Thank you again to the many volunteers round the country whohelp children keep valuable links with their family. Warmcongratulations from all the trustees and staff at NACCC to thosevolunteers who have served their centre for many years and havebeen awarded their bronze, silver or gold certificates.

NEW Platinum certificateWe are pleased to announce the launch of ournew Platinum certificate for over 15 years’service.

Andover Child Contact Centre13 volunteers – 13 bronze (39 years)Avenue Child Contact Centre15 volunteers – 11 bronze, 1 silver,3 gold (68 years)Blackburn Child Contact Centre9 volunteers – 1 bronze, 8 silver(43 years)Blackpool Fylde & Wyre ChildContact Centre36 volunteers – 4 bronze, 13 silver,19 gold (267 years)Camberley & District FamilyContact Centre8 volunteers – 3 bronze, 5 silver(34 years)Cheltenham Child Contact Centre5 volunteers – 2 bronze, 3 silver(21 years)Eastbourne Family Contact Centre10 volunteers – 5 bronze, 5 silver(40 years)

Great Yarmouth Family ContactCentre4 volunteers – 1 bronze, 1 silver,2 gold (32 years)Halton Child Contact Centre1 volunteer – 1 gold (10 years)Hemel Hempstead Child ContactCentre4 volunteers – 1 bronze, 3 silver(18 years)Lower Early Child Contact Centre12 volunteers – 7 silver, 5 gold(85 years)Mid Ulster Child Contact Centre18 volunteers – 3 bronze, 5 silver,10 gold (116 years)Nuneaton Child Contact Centre3 volunteers – 1 bronze, 2 gold(38 years)Palmers Green Child Contact Centre35 volunteers – 4 bronze, 9 silver,15 gold (313 years)

Shirley Family Contact Centre2 volunteers – 2 bronze (6 years)Shropshire Child Contact Centres22 volunteers – 6 bronze, 6 silver,10 gold (170 years)Slough Child Contact Centre17 volunteers – 17 silver (85 years)South Bristol Child Contact Centre11 volunteers – 1 bronze, 4 silver,6 gold (83 years)Stevenage & North Herts ChildContact Centres6 volunteers – 3 bronze, 1 silver,2 gold (39 years)The Roberts Centre6 volunteers – 3 bronze, 3 gold(42 years)The Crescent Child Contact Centre17 volunteers – 17 bronze (51 years)Vale Royal Child Contact Centre5 volunteers – 2 bronze, 3 silver(36 years)

Contact Centre Accreditation and Re-accreditation

Congratulations… to all the Child Contact Centres listed below who have achievedaccreditation since the last issue of Contact Matters. Well done!

And congratulations to those who have achieved re-accreditation success since the lastissue. Well done to you!

Congratulations! – A total of 1568 years’ servicegiven to local Child Contact Centres. Please dolet us know in writing if you have volunteersthat you would like to thank and congratulateby issuing them with one of NACCC’s volunteercertificates (NEW! Platinum for 15+ years’service, Gold for 10 years’ service, Silver for 5years’ service and Bronze for 3 years’ service).

Going for Gold Although ALL Child Contact Centrevolunteers are worth their weight in gold…

Avenue ChildContact Centre(Westcliff on Sea)volunteers arepresented with theircertificates.

• A&A Family Centre Limited (Lee, London)• Bingley Contact Centre• Bridport Child Contact Centre• Fleet Family Contact Centre

• Harpenden Child Contact Centre• Neutral Ground Child Contact Centre (Abbeywood,

London)• South London Contact Centre

• Aberdare Child Contact Centre• Aire Valley Child Contact Centres (Keighley & Shipley)• Aylesbury Child Contact Centre• Bath Child Contact Centre• Chesterfield Child Contact Centre

• Pontypridd Child Contact Centre• Romford URC Westies Child Contact Centre• Salford Child Contact Centre• St James Child Contact Centre (Colchester)• Springfield Contact Centre (Upminster)

Summer ISSUE•2007/20086 MATTERS

Snippets

Useful ways to make yourorganisation more accessible todisabled peopleThere are lots of websites withtop tips on making your venueand service accessible and ifnecessary, getting an ‘access audit’done.

The Department for Work &Pensions’ websitehttp://www.dwp.gov.uk/employers/dda/real-tourism.asp have someuseful ‘Business tips’ including:

• Do you provide information onhow to get to your venue bypublic transport? Includedetails about accessible publictransport too.

• Can you provide parking fordisabled customers?

• Are you unsure how to makeyour organisation moreaccessible? Ask a disabledperson or organisation and tryto act on their advice. Keepthe info handy too, so thatyou can help customers withsimilar impairments in future.

• Are your toilets accessible todisabled people?

• Do you provide leaflets andother information? Could youmake them available inaccessible formats such aslarge print, Braille andaudiotape?

• Do people with impairedhearing have access to yourservices? An induction loopcould be invaluable. Keepingbackground noise to aminimum can help too.

• Are your volunteers and staffup to speed with theimplications of the DisabilityDiscrimination Act? Policiesand attitudes towards servingdisabled centre users are justas important as adjusting yourpremises. Possibly provide staffwith disability awarenesstraining.

The Equality & Human RightsCommission also do a usefuldocument ‘Organising accessibleevents’.England: 0845 604 6610Wales: 0845 604 8810www.equalityhumanrights.com

CRB Freezes FeesFor the second year running theCriminal Records Bureau (CRB)can announce that its fees willremain frozen at 2006-2007 levelsfor the new financial year. The feelevels for Standard Enhancedchecks will therefore continue attheir current rate (£36)throughout 2008/09.

The NSPCC has launched guidanceto help professionals spot thedifference between accidental anddeliberate burns on children.Search for more info onwww.nspcc.org.uk/inform

Children’s PlanA new report has been publishedabout the wellbeing of childrenand young people in Englandtoday. Amongst the conclusionsthe report shows that mostchildren feel happy about life as awhole. The way the familyfunctions is more relevant to childwellbeing than family status –70 per cent agree that one parentcan bring up a child as well astwo. The report, together with asummary of responses to therecent Time to Talk consultation isavailable atwww.dfes.gov.uk/timetotalkTel: 0870 000 2288

Encourage & Praise Children’sReward Charts. We have chartsspecifically designed to assistchildren and families throughunsettled times. For further detailsand information on bulk discountsplease visit www.vchart.co.uk oremail info@vchart.co.uk.

Separation and Divorce – helpingparents to help childrenA4 booklet written for Resolutionby Christina McGhee, divorcecoach and parent educator(www.divorceandchildren.com),is designed to give parents keyinformation at the earliestpossible stage and to guide themin making a positive difference fortheir children. It supports a child-centred approach – which researchand experience suggests will helpchildren to move from being afamily under one roof to being afamily in two separate homes.Text version available atwww.resolution.org.uk/parentingafterparting

The difference a dad makesThe Fatherhood Institute haspublished new research on thepositive involvement of fathers intheir children’s lives. The reportargues that both fathers andmothers need better support andcalls for an end to the stereotypeof ‘absent’ fathers. In particular,the antenatal period is key, asfathers who are involved withtheir children from the start aremost likely to remain involved forlife. They would like 25,000 morefathers per year signing theirchild’s birth certificate, fathersreading with their children in allprimary schools and familyprofessionals confidently dealingwith fathers as well as mothersand supporting all family types.Finally, the report calls forparticular support for youngfathers, disabled fathers, youngoffender fathers and fathers fromblack and minority ethniccommunities.Further information:www.fatherhoodinstitute.orgTel: 0845 634 1328

www.Dad.info New top-qualityinformation service for fathersThe Fatherhood Institute isdelighted to introduce a new andabsolutely unique informationservice for fathers: Dad Info. DadInfo is now a separate companysolely and totally focused onproviding high quality informationto fathers and is made up of a

Family

Centres

Accessibility

Summer ISSUE•2007/2008 7MATTERS

Snippets

Oxfordshire Half Marathon £350 fundraising success for Abingdon Child Contact Centre

Michael Thomas completed the Oxfordshire Half Marathon on Sunday16 April, raising more than £350 for Abingdon Child Contact Centre.They were dismayed to wake up that morning to find there had beenquite a heavy snowfall during the night, and that snow was continuing tofall! Fortunately, the snow and the roads quickly cleared as the sun cameout. Michael completed the course in 90 minutes 27 seconds, beating hisprevious best time by 5 minutes; he was really pleased.Derwent Swaine, Treasurer, Abingdon Child Contact Centre

News flash! Duncan Gore, Regional Support Managerjoined ten others in June to cycle 1,034 miles from LandsEnd to John O’Groats! They are hoping to raise £20,000 forchildren's charity Toybox helping street children in LatinAmerica. Well done Duncan! www.toyboxcharity.org.uk

website, an email service for eachindividual father linked to thebirth-date of each of his children,Dad cards, posters and otherservices working with fathers ofyoung children NACCC haspurchased 40 limited editionDad Packs which are available tocentres at cost at £5 Per pack.

www.whenparentspart.org.ukUnique project exploring children’sperspectives when parents part.Free resource for mediators,solicitors, family services, parentsand young people. Site exploresand promotes child-centredpractice, with a wide range ofresearch alongside advice and ideasfrom young people.

Good news for centres in needLegacy funding from the GeorgeBarnes fund means that NACCC isin a position to give grants tostruggling centres. The criteria andthe application process have nowbeen decided. See the back pagefor further details.

Round TablesRound Tables are known for their

efforts to assist local communitiesand to help that community’s lessfortunate members; for its concernfor the quality of life and for thehelp it gives to various charitablecauses. For details of your localRound Table contact:www.roundtable.org.ukTel: 0121 456 4402

www.easyfundraising.org.ukProvides a FREE fundraisingservice where you can raise fundsfor any charity, trust, school, club,good cause or community groupyou support when you shoponline. Choose from over 500 ofthe UK’s best-known retailersincluding many popular namessuch as NEXT, Amazon,Debenhams, John Lewis andHMV, and when you shop usingthe links on the site up to 15%from every purchase you make isdonated to the cause you chooseto nominate.

www.simplefundraising.co.ukA new affinity shopping website,enables charities to set up brandedweb pages that include links toretailers. When supporters click onthe links, the charity receivesdonations.

Health & Safety Myth: All officeequipment must be tested by aqualified electrician every yearThe reality. No. The law requiresemployers to assess risks and takeappropriate action. The Health &Safety Executive’s advice is that formost office electrical equipment,visual checks for obvious signs ofdamage and perhaps simple testsby a competent member of staffare quite sufficient. For more infocontact HSE Infoline 0845 345 0055www.hse.gov.uk

Excellence in VolunteerManagement (EVM)EVM is designed around yourneeds and will enable you to gainan accredited qualification involunteer management.The programme features e-learningopportunities, FAQs, a goodpractice bank, publications andinformation sheets. VolunteeringEngland Tel: 0845 305 6979www.volunteering.org.uk

Volunteering

Legal

Funding

Good ideas, funding ideas to share? Please let us know

8 MATTERS Summer ISSUE•2008

Child Contact Centres andwhy Families Need Fathers

should support themCharles Kenyon, Chair, Families Need Fathers

FamiliesNeed Fathers(FNF) hasbeensupportingseparated

parents and their children for 34years so that children may bebrought up with the love andguidance of both their parents.We lobby for changes in law tomake shared parenting thepresumption should families split.We help around 100,000 people ayear through our meetings, mediaand helpline.

Good parenting when you are notliving with your child is the hardestparenting. Just keeping going is amental and financial effort thatcan destroy lives. Contact Centresare one of those vital ingredientsthat offer succour for the parentthat needs the strength to keepgoing. In an article in the last issueof our own magazine, McKenzie, Iasked our members to support youall. However, there are three issuesthat affect us specifically and itwould be good to discuss themboth at local and national level.

A couple of hours in a ChildContact Centre, some costing up to£80, may be in addition to somehundred miles travelled and aday’s loss of earnings. Costs limitthe frequency of visits in manycases and when you are four yearsold, two weeks is a lifetime.

We must get these costsrecognised.

Getting people through contactcentres and out to properunrestricted parenting can take along time. There are safetyreasons, sometimes, whenmeetings have to take place incontact centres but the majority ofparents do not pose any threatand have to use centres becausethere is no other agreed option;very often because court processestake years. We can work togetherto lobby to relieve this log jam.

I have helped in a Child ContactCentre and seen the frightened,bemused parents and the scaredchildren. You do a tremendous jobin putting people at ease but inthe parent’s mind every minutethat goes by is a minute closer tosaying goodbye. Helping people tomake the best of the short timeavailable is vital. Again, we canwork together on this.

Thank you to all the professionalworkers who are responsible forthe safe environments and thankyou too to all the kind anddedicated volunteers who startedthe Network and continue toprovide the warm and informalwelcome. Families Need Fathersrecognises that without thefacilities that you offer, many morechildren and parents would losetheir link with each other.

Private Law Pathways andContact Activities... changeson the horizon

The majority of Child ContactCentres providing supportedcontact currently receive a highproportion of their referrals fromfamily law solicitors. CAFCASS havebeen given responsibility fordeveloping a new system formanaging cases when they firstenter Family Courts. It is calledPrivate Law Pathways and is basedon early interventions and disputeresolution. The system alreadyoperates in some CAFCASS regionsand will be extended to theremainder over time. Although wecannot be certain it is possible thatthese changes will in time result inmore referrals to Child ContactCentres coming directly fromCAFCASS practitioners as opposedto solicitors.

Another change that Child ContactCentres may see later this year isfamilies they are working withbeing involved in Contact Activities.Detailed information about ContactActivities is unavailable at present.However, we do know that peoplewill access them through the FamilyCourts, they will be based onpromoting co-parenting andparents failing to comply with themcould risk a fine or imprisonment.

More information will be providedon both these changes in the nextedition of Contact Matters.

Duncan Gore, Regional SupportManager (Central & South)

The morning of 3rd March broughta blanket of snow across NorthernIreland, difficult enough to travelin, but we were going to thefoothills of the Sperrins. Would weall make this training event?

22 people arrived for the start at10.30 and a few strays made itbefore 11am leaving us with a fullhouse, some 24 people plus thetrainers. Each centre wasrepresented and some people tookannual leave in order to attend.Judy Birchall and Duncan Goredivided us up into tables of four,ensuring not only a mix of centres,but also coordinators, managementcommittee and volunteers.

Despite the long schedule Judy andDuncan made the courseinteresting with small group work,large group work and someinteresting worksheets, they builtin humour particularly Judy’schallenge to our stereotypicalviews.

Each presentation asked us to lookat our centre from the viewpointof families, referrers, volunteersand management committee aswell as funders and ourselves as

coordinators. Primarily the materialchallenged us to look at ouroperational policy from the child’sperspective. There was a highdegree of debate and discussionand some of us left to re-look atour policies and procedures andwhat needed to be altered.Discussions with the moreestablished centres identifieduseful systems that would help aswe strive towards good practice.

Events like this are a greatopportunity to learn not only inthe formal training but also indiscussion with each other. Takingtime out focuses the mind on thetasks on the agenda, and despitethe demands of our own busy livesand that of our families, it isimportant to reflect on our roles indeveloping and maintaining ChildContact Centres. The whole eventwas carried out with a high degreeof good humour. Participants’expectations were in part realisedand none of their fears came tobeing.

It was somewhat amazing to lookaround and see how much we hadgrown in the past ten years;starting with two centres, we now

have 14 sessions per week acrossthe province, with a further 4planned in the next few weeks.That is not counting the workundertaken by Cloona supervisedCentre.

No event like the residential justhappens and the Northern IrelandNetwork of Child Contact Centreswish to thank all who made thispossible: The DHSSPS for fundingthe event; The ManagementCommittee of the Northern IrelandNetwork of Child Contact Centres;Judy and Duncan from NACCC fortheir excellent presentations, theirexperiences that they so willinglyshare and their easy manner thatmakes them so approachable;NACCC for all their help andsupport; all involved in ChildContact Centres across NorthernIreland, management committee,volunteers and their families; allcoordinators, assistant coordinatorsor team leaders and volunteerswhose work is invaluable. Finally toMuriel Orr, who brought all of thistogether, applying for funding,setting the date, liaising withNACCC, taxi drivers, printing thecourse material etc, etc, etc.Without her work this trainingwould not have occurred.To paraphrase Judge Gillen’scomments “I am confident thatChild Contact Centres will continueto flourish under your excellenttutelage” All of us present at thisresidential echo this. Thank youMuriel.Frances McKenna, Mid-Ulster ChildContact Centre

9MATTERSSummer ISSUE•2008

This course has been very popular and contains the following units 1) Referrers, 2) Families, 3) Staffand Management, 4) Funding and Publicity. In response to demand we are putting on our third two-day residential to be held on Thurs 13th November and Fri 14th November, Woodbrooke,Birmingham (Residential, Units 1-4). Further details will be sent to centres in due course.

“Really worthwhile 2 days, full of excellentmaterial. Plenty of food for thought, much towork on!”

“Good relaxed atmosphere, able to speak freelyand share with others”.

“Very worth while training. Look forward to thenext instalment”.

“Very enjoyable. Met new friends and got toknow other people”.

Co-ordinator training – additional dates

A descriptive view of the Coordinator’s residentialtraining, Northern Ireland

Every Child Matters has identifiedfive “outcomes”, the results itthinks are most important forchildren to have for their futureand every organisation workingwith children is expected to bedoing their very best to help thechildren it is involved with achievethese.

What are the five outcomes?1. Be healthy2. Stay safe3. Enjoy and achieve4. Make a positive contribution5. Achieve economic well-being

Not headings that trip off thetongue or easily stay in thememory I agree! At first sightmaybe only the second, stayingsafe appears to have anything todo with child contact centres butlet’s take a second look.

Being healthy – this includesmental/emotional as well asphysical healthResearch tells us time and timeagain that children’s emotionalhealth and behaviour is improvedby regular contact with bothparents.

Staying safe – this has aims ofchildren not witnessing domesticabuse, not being bullied, having

fewer road accidents, being lesslikely to go into care and sufferingfewer accidents in the homeCentres can enable contact to takeplace so that parents do not haveto meet each other and canprovide a bridge to develop ormaintain a link to a non-residentparent which can supplement thecare of a hard pressed parent, orprovide another viable optionshould the resident parent becomeincapacitated in some way.

Enjoying and achieving – includesaims that looked after childrenperform better in school, and moreparents support children’s learningAgain research tells us that oftenchildren do badly at school whenthey have lost contact with one oftheir parents or the separation isfraught with hostility. Alsoretaining and improving therelationship between the non-resident parent and child can leadto a greater involvement by thatparent in the child’s schooling.

Making a positive contribution –has aims of reducing criminalbehaviour, developing selfconfidence and successfully dealingwith significant life changes andchallengesAgain there is much research toshow a direct link between non-

involved fathers and juvenile crimeand the core of our contact centrework is to make the challenge andchange involved in breakdown asmanageable as possible for thechildren.

Outcomes are what matter topeopleIn the past we have tended to dealsolely with “outputs” – how manychildren attended, for how manysessions of contact – rather than“outcomes” (i.e results), what haschanged for people? What are theeffects of our actions? Whatmatters to the people who use ourservice?

Under Every Child Matters therewill be a focus on outcomes,because it is felt without these,services become irrelevant, theywon’t know how to improve theirwork and they won’t knowwhether they are making adifference.

As centres may lose funding if wecan’t show results, our challengefor the months ahead is looking athow we can measure these oftenmore intangible and long-termbenefits.

For this year’s conference (to beheld in Nottingham on 20thSeptember) and 2008/2009 trainingwe are going to be looking in moredetail at Every Child Matters andthe practical ways we can engagewith it as well as how itsoutworking in CAFCASS throughthe legal system may affect howand when families are referredto us.Judy Birchall, Regional SupportManager (North)

10 MATTERS Summer ISSUE•2008

Every Child Matters toChild Contact Centres

Of course it does – always has done and hopefully always will, but Every Child Matters is alsothe name given to a government initiative that was introduced in 2004 and has caused thebiggest shake up in children’s services for 50 years. It directly effects how health, education andsocial services deal with children and applies to the voluntary sector as well. Every ChildMatters governs policy and therefore funding decisions by a wide range of organisationsincluding the DCFS, Local Authorities, Health Authorities and CAFCASS.

Southwest EnglandI live near Weston-Super-Mare and I’m really pleased to have the opportunity to support new centresin the South West. I am a trustee and team leader at Weston Child Contact Centre and spent twoyears as a Support Officer for NACCC at the start of the accreditation process. I currently work inSomerset as an Emotional Health Worker for children and young people and spend much of my timesupporting them with the considerable impact of family breakdown. I am looking forward to workingwith new centres and hope to have the opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces!

West MidlandsMy involvement with Child Contact Centres started 12 years ago as a volunteer with my wife Valerieat the WRVS Contact Centre in Telford (where I continue to volunteer). When WRVS pulled back fromcontact centres Valerie formed the charity Shropshire Child Contact Centres and now co-ordinates fourcentres in Shropshire. In October 2004 I took on the task of Support Officer for the Midlands andSouth helping centres achieve accreditation, visiting centres across the Midlands and laterally fartherafield. During this time some 50 centres, within this area, have been able to achieve theiraccreditation. My contribution has now extended to assist new centres starting up, on-going trainingfor them and established centres.

East MidlandsAbout me! I am the mother of two teenage boys and we live in very rural Lincolnshire. I have beencoordinator for St John Ambulance Child Contact Centre, Grantham since its beginnings in 2003;I managed the launch, publicity, recruitment of new volunteers, organised training, developed policiesand procedures along with all the other duties that go with a new centre. The Grantham centre isnow well established within the local community and is well supported by local solicitors andCAFCASS. In early 2007, St John Ambulance opened another centre in Skegness which I alsoco-ordinate, having organised the recruitment and opening for that centre. I look forward to assistingnew centres and those going for accreditation and re-accreditation.

Central Southeast EnglandI first became interested in issues around child contact at university after researching the motivationsof members of Fathers 4 Justice. After leaving university I became coordinator of the Brighton andHove Child Contact Centre and have been there for two years now. I am very interested in theongoing development of Child Contact Centres, nationally and locally, inspiring me to become aGeneral Trustee for NACCC and recently to represent Sussex Child Contact Centres on my Local FamilyJustice Council. I hope this training will help the volunteers and staff of the new centres to provide anexcellent service and to get as much out of their experience of running and volunteering in a ChildContact Centre as possible.

Southeast EnglandHaving worked for an Independent Fostering Agency in Kent for many years I was asked in 2003 toset up and manage a Child Contact Centre in Herne Bay. The centre offered Supervised and SupportedContact, Parenting Assessments, Training, work with non-resident fathers and much more. We weresuccessful in securing Service Level Agreements with Kent County Council and built and secured a firmfoundation for the future of the centre to be developed further. I always was and still remainextremely proud of what not only I, but also my staff team achieved. I have now moved on topastures new, supporting families for Kent County Council.

11MATTERSSummer ISSUE•2008

Additional support for NACCC’s member centresWe know that many of you like to literally see ‘the face’ of NACCC. We have aimed to buildup again a team of field workers to work with us on a sessional basis, as and when needed.They will work with and support existing centres covering accreditation, re-accreditation andnew centres’ support. We still have a need for trainers in:

• South Wales• Central Southern England• East Anglia

• London• Thames Valley• Northeast England

Russell Collard

Paula Gale

Charmaine Bryant

Margaret Windeatt MCMI

For more details on accessing the training pool and the vacanciesplease contact the NACCC office.

Alice Sharville

Salli Ward (of Pro-Contact, Salford) is alsoavailable to help out in the Northwest.

contact matters is the twice yearly magazine of the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC).Views expressed in contact matters are not necessarily those of the NACCC and publication does not imply endorsement.

© Copyright NACCC Publications 2008. (NACCC Child Contact Centres exempt).

Registered Charity No. 1078636 Company Limited by Guarantee No. 3886023 (Registered in England and Wales)

National Association of Child Contact Centres, Minerva House, Spaniel Row, Nottingham, NG1 6EPTel: 0845 4500 280 www.naccc.org.uk

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‘CONTACT MATTERS’ EDITORIAL STAFF MAINTAIN THE RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS PUBLISHED.

THE NEXT COPY DATE FOR ARTICLES IS 26 SEPTEMBER 2008.

Please send your comments, letters and emails to Ruth Miles at the NACCC office.NACCC staff and trustees will be pleased to answer any queries and include them in the nextedition of Contact Matters.

Pre-visits – the advantages aregreat!

Dear NACCCWe are surprised to find out how fewcentre coordinators actually use the‘pre-visit scheme’ with clients at theircontact centre. We at the Vale RoyalContact Centre, in Winsford, Cheshire,find it an invaluable tool to make anappointment, to be held at the centre,with one or both parties prior to theirfirst contact visit, and we would urgeothers to try it. The advantages aregreat. My coordinators use your NACCCpre-visit checklist which, whencompleted, is signed by the parent(s),thereby assuring us that we have gotto know them and have their fullinformation which can so easily bereferred to when necessary, and thatthey in turn will have seen the venue,met us and know what is expected ofthem when they come for contact withtheir children.

The advantages seem to well outweighthe time spent. I trust this will helpothers.Philippa Appleby, Chairman,Vale Royal Child Contact Centre

Dear NACCC

NACCC AGM & Conference 2008Saturday 20 September,Trent Vineyard, NottinghamTheme: Every Child Still Matters

Would you be willing to showother centres round your centre?If so, please do contact the NACCCoffice so that we can publish a list inthe next issue of Contact Matters.

Many thanks to:Resolution for enabling Yvonne Kee, CEO and Judy Birchall (RegionalSupport Manager North) to attend their conference in Brighton andfor funding the development to the NACCC website.

Bill Vincent (ex District Judge) for his generosity in endowing ChildContact Centres with legacy funding, to be known as the GeorgeBarnes fund for Centres in Need. Stop Press! – we have just heardthat further funding from the same benefactor will fund NACCCregional support for members for five years.

Whether to deal with self-referrals?

Dear NACCCAt the moment, here at Coventry, we don’t accept self-referrals.However, I would be very interested in receiving feedback from thosecentres that do take them. I am concerned, with the current awarenessof domestic violence and/or abuse and how it may manifest itself, notnecessarily in physical violence, but in manipulation and emotionalabuse, that taking self-referrals might bring some difficulties. Forexample, how do centres satisfy themselves that domestic violence/ abuseis not an issue in a self-referral? A solicitor, mediation service, CAFCASSor Social Services referral can indicate on the referral form whether thisis an issue and the organiser can arrange contact accordingly. I supposemy concern is that we might, unwittingly, put a parent who might havebeen pressurised into referring to the centre, at risk of harm. How docentres deal with this?Janet Jones-Legg, Chairman, Coventry Child Contact Centre

Dear CentreThere is no easy answer to this, even where the referral comes via asolicitor or CAFCASS officer there is no absolute guarantee that eitherthe existence of domestic violence or its extent will have been disclosed.The NACCC Guidance Manual contains a section on Self-Referrals(Section 12 page 131). The basic points are that both parties must beinterviewed, any other involved agency contacted before the contacttakes place and the contact limited initially so that the situation can befurther assessed. Self-referrals are much more time consuming, howeverthe stark truth is that more and more families are unrepresented.Articles concerning the problems self-referrals cause centres haverecently been submitted for publication in the District Judges’ magazineand Resolution’s.Judy Birchall, Regional Support Manger (North)