Our Family Contact Centre provides a safe, friendly and neutral place for children of separated families to spend time with one or both parents, or other family members, whilst enjoying toys, games and refreshments .

We understand that a family break-up can be traumatic and our trained team is on hand to support all parties during the course of the visit.  We will always prioritise the needs of the child/children. 

We provide Supported Contact. This means:

• our staff will be in the same room at all times although we may not be able to hear every conversation
• we will have oversight of children at all times, but we do not make observations, recordings, or reports
• there are likely to be other families present at the same time
• there is a clear plan for the family to be able to move on to more suitable arrangements in the future

We DO NOT provide Supervised Contact. This is generally a higher level of supervision and care needs and is used for higher-risk families, often in the presence of a Social Worker. 

If you are in doubt about which is the right one for you, please see examples on the National Association of Children’s Contact Centres

1. Referral – Referrals can be made by a variety of people including Social Services, Courts, and Solicitors, but you can also self-refer. All referrals should be made on our referral form which can be provided by contacting us.

2. Fee – A one-off non-refundable admin fee of £30 is payable when returning the referral form to us.

3. Pre-visit – We invite each parent and the child to come for an assessment, where the child can familiarise themselves with the setting and we can discuss and agree on their needs with the parents.

4. Plan – From the pre-visit information, we will produce a written plan that both parents agree to.

5. Sessions – Once all the above steps have been completed regular sessions can begin, and the start date and frequency of these will be agreed between the Centre and the parents.  These will cost £5 per session, which is payable one session in advance.

We aim to complete this process in 2-4 weeks, provided both parents have availability.

For further information, to book an appointment or request a referral form, please call the Family Contact Co-ordinator on 07597 572295 or email Familycontact@rainbow-centre.org.

Our supported setting is open from 8.45am to 1pm on alternate Saturdays.