Children’s Contact Service in Sale

The Children’s Contact Centre in Sale opened in January 2023 at the Sale Neighbourhood House and was officially launched several months later.

Today, the Children’s Contact Centre in Sale is situated in a heritage listed building on Foster Street, set in large gardens. We have two separate playrooms for families and a communal dining/ kitchen space within the main building.  Outside, the garden has a picnic table, trampoline, sandpit and plenty of room to play games and ride bikes.

We strive to accommodate all children and parents and have toilet facilities suitable for those with mobility issues. Please ask for further details.

At Better Place Australia supervised contact centre in Sale, we offer families three services.

These are:

• supervised contact
• supported contact
• changeover services.

Supervised Contact

Supervised contact means that our staff are present during a visit with the child to support the relationship between the child and the person they are visiting. Staff make observational notes during the visit that are available to both parents by request (fees apply). Most sessions of supervised contact run for a 2-hour period.  All our staff are suitably qualified to work in community services, social work or psychology. Parents do not need to see one other and any safety risks are assessed and managed by the service.

Supported Contact

This service is similar to supervised contact, however, staff are not always within close proximity to the children and the visiting parent. Instead, staff support the child with the transition between parents and then monitor the visit using sound and video technology.  Staff still make observational notes and intervene if necessary. Supported contact is not usually offered for the first few visits. It is usually commenced when staff have not observed any concerns on previous supervised visits.

Changeover Services

We also provide a service that assist families manage the transition of care for children between one family member and another. This can help to reduce the stress for everyone, especially children, when family members are feeling anxious or concerned about the interaction. Parents do not need to see one another and any safety risks are assessed and managed by the service.

Parents, carers and referrers can fill out the short Request for CCS Application Form online.

The Better Place Australia Children’s Contact Service requires application forms from both parents to proceed to the Intake and Assessment stage. Once application forms have been received, both parents will be contacted for private individual intake interviews. Fees are shared between both parents unless otherwise specified in Court Orders.

We aim to provide services to families as soon as possible after they apply. We understand that prolonged separation from children can be distressing for parents and children alike. After applications are received from both parents, we schedule individual meetings with both parents as soon as possible. These meetings can be via Zoom in some circumstances.

We then invite the child (or children) to visit the centre so we can meet them, show them around and explain to them what happens at the Service. We call this the “Child Readiness” visit, and it ensures that the child is informed, comfortable and supported. Helping the child to prepare for the first visit is critical, so that visits are as relaxed, enjoyable and enriching as possible.

When these steps have occurred, we are ready to begin.

If you are thinking of applying to access the Children Contact Service in Sale, you can watch this video of what to expect. There are also FAQs and a fee schedule below. The Better Place Australia Children’s Contact Service requires application forms from both parents to proceed to the intake and assessment stage. Once application forms have been received, both parents will be contacted for private individual intake interviews. Fees are shared between both parents unless otherwise specified in Court Orders.