Child Contact
Avenue provides a range of services to help children spend quality time with the important people in their lives. Our Child Contact Centres are welcoming places where separated children, parents and families can enjoy time together. They are safe, child-friendly spaces with a range of toys, play and craft materials on offer, and trained workers on hand to ensure that children can relax and have fun.
Supported Contact and Supervised Contact takes place within one of our Child Contact centres. Supported Contact takes place without direct observation, but with the support of Child Contact workers. Supervised contact takes place with a Child Contact worker present who will observe and supervise the contact sessions. Reports for supervised or supported contact are provided on request.
Handover Contact allows children to spend time outwith the centre with their other parent, providing a safe place for the child to arrive and return to, where parents do not need to interact.
Message Box Contact provides indirect contact in the form of text, video and photographs and is facilitated through a Family Support Worker.
Every family that uses Avenue’s Child Contact services has a designated Family Support Worker who is the point-of-contact for the family throughout their time in Avenue’s Child Contact services. The Family Support Worker is there to answer any queries and to provide support that enables happy, healthy and safe child contact to take place.
Sessions
The type and frequency of the Child Contact is determined based on the individual circumstances of everyone involved, and is usually agreed between the parents or determined by the court or solicitors. It is also influenced by Avenue’s ability to deliver the service safely, and the best interests of the child.
Sessions that take place in the centre usually last 1 or 2 hours, while handover can be longer. Child Contact might take place weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
At the beginning of all Child Contact service provision, parents are asked to attend individual Pre-Contact sessions with a Family Support Worker during which Avenue can answer any queries the parents may have and clarify expectations.
The child will also visit the Child Contact centre at least once before Child Contact takes place.
Avenue has three Child Contact centres, located in Elgin, Peterhead and Aberdeen.
Cost
You may be able to get Legal Aid to help you to pay for Child Contact. You should speak to your solicitor or to Citizens Advice in the first instance about this.
Avenue is a charity and we work hard to keep our fees as low as we can so that anyone who needs our support can access our services. Please get in touch if you are not able to access Legal Aid, the child lives in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire or Moray, and you are on benefits or a low income. We will be happy to have a confidential conversation with you regarding an individualised payment plan. In some cases, we may be able to offer free or reduced cost services thanks to the support of a range of funders including: Aberdeen City Common Good Fund, Aberdeenshire Council, Moray Council and the Scottish Government.
Supported Child Contact
Set-up for Supported Child Contact and the associated Pre-Contact meetings costs £150.
A Supported Child Contact Session costs £50 per hour.
Supervised Child Contact
Set-up for Supervised Child Contact and the associated Pre-Contact meetings costs £150.
A Supervised Child Contact Session costs £100 per hour (up to a maximum of 2 hours).
Child Contact Handover
Set-up for Child Contact Handover and the associated Pre-Contact meetings costs £150.
Each Child Contact Handover session costs £20.
Message Box Contact
Set-up for Message Box Child Contact and the associated Pre-Contact meetings is £150.
The monthly fee for Message Box Child Contact is £20, which includes a maximum of 2 messages per week from both parents and child(ren).
Reports on Contact (all types)
A Child Contact Report covering up to 6 sessions, or 6 weeks of Message Box, costs £150.
Additional sessions, or weeks, included in the report cost £25 each
If you would like more information, or would like to refer yourself or someone you know to Child Contact, please call our Service Administration team on 01224 587571, or email us
Our online referral forms can be completed here
Self Referral
Professional Referral
