How We Helped
Children’s Contact Services
This year, our Children’s Contact Services assisted 1,752 clients. Children’s Contact Services provide
supervised contact for children who need a safe, controlled setting in which to spend time with a
parent or significant family member. Separated parents in high conflict situations can also use the
service as a safe place to co-ordinate the pick-up and drop-off of their children without having to
meet.
A Young Father’s Story
A young first time father approached the Orange Children’s Contact Service (CCS) for assistance
in establishing a relationship with his infant son. He and the mother had a very brief relationship
and did not really know each other. The mother was reluctant to leave the baby in the care of the
father and consequently he had only seen his son in the home of the mother’s parents, where he felt
constrained from interacting with the baby. The father told the Orange CCS staff that he very much
wanted to have a relationship with his son but felt that he did not have many parenting skills.
The CCS Coordinator worked with both parents and they came to an agreement whereby the mother
would initially stay in the Contact Centre while the supervised contact occurred. The staff used a
‘Building Connections through Play’ approach to build the father’s confidence in his parenting and
ability to engage with the baby. Once the mother saw that the baby was safe and engaging with the
father she opted to remove herself from the supervised contacts.
The couple was referred to mediation and quite quickly reached a parenting agreement. The father
was also referred to parenting groups being run at the Orange Centre. Team work, case management
and a willingness to be flexible with this family saw a very positive outcome for both parents and the
baby. The parents have now established a cordial relationship that will allow them both to positively
parent their child now and into the future without needing the ongoing intervention of Interrelate.
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