Supervised contact centres in Melbourne that are safe for children

Separation can be a very difficult time for both parents and children. It’s during these challenging times that maintaining strong, positive relationships with both parents becomes crucial for the child’s emotional well-being. For the non-resident parent, that may require the help of supervised contact centres in Melbourne.

Andrew, Program Manager for Better Place Australia Children’s Contact Services, says, “We prioritise your child’s safety and well-being. One of our primary goals is providing safe, neutral and child-focused environments where children can spend time with their non-resident parent. Our child-focused approach ensures our service support is always informed by acting in the child’s best interest.

“We have a strict intake process, which ensures every visit to our child contact centres is safe and supportive, focusing on the well-being and emotional security of the child.

“One important way we maintain a safe environment,” says Andrew, ” is by staggering the arrival and departure times. That way parents don’t have to see each other. We facilitate that process by arranging for the first parent to arrive 15 minutes early. If the first parent is late then we advise the other parent when it is safe to arrive, so that they don’t cross over.

“As part of the process of CCS, we assess whether the application to access our supervised contact centres in Melbourne or Sale is suitable. We have a legal obligation to decline an application if through the assessment and / or service provision process, the staff consider that the arrangement may pose an unacceptable risk to the children, staff or other service users.

“If we decide that the application is suitable, we proceed with the service and invite the child or children to attend a child-readiness visit. This is a step-by-step process to ensure suitability and safety.

“Better Place Australia Children’s Contact Services in Narre Warren and Sale support you through every step of the process, providing the guidance and a safe environment for fostering healthy family relationships,” says Andrew, CCS Program Manager.

The process for accessing the Better Place Australia Children’s Contact Service starts with the separated parent or their legal representative requesting an application form to access the service. Forms must be filled out by both parents for the service proceed.

Learn more about the process by watching Andrew share a snapshot in the video below.