Contact with family
Contact refers to arranged time a child spends with family, usually their birth parents. Helping the child you care for stay in touch with family can be a positive experience, but it can also be challenging. Our support team are here to help you plan contact time with family and give you advice when you need it.
Watch Noelle explain what contact with family is, why it matters, and the support available
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Managing contact time
Advice on planning and maintaining positive contact time with family.
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Contact rights and responsibilities
Learn who is responsible for what and how to set boundaries and change plans.
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How a family-time (contact) review works
What to expect and how we support you through the review process.
How we can help
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Listen to your concerns
Our specialist team will use their experience to understand your issues and help you take action. They can help you communicate with family and do what's best for the child.
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Review your contact arrangements
We can review how contact time is working for you and the child you care for. Our team can assess risks, act on safety concerns and help you create a joint agreement with family.
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Offer advice and ideas
We can suggest meeting activities and different ways to contact family. You can also get ideas on how to talk to your child about contact time with family and support to manage its impact.
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Explain the details
We can clarify your rights and responsibilities around contact time with family. We can also explain when and how changes to court-ordered and informal arrangements can be made.
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Give you useful resources
Links to charities, legal support and other resources. We can also suggest neutral places for contact time and offer bereavement support should a family member die.
Three things to know
1. Contact time arrangements should be flexible
Contact with family should change as children grow and relationships develop. Court-ordered or agreed arrangements should be reviewed regularly and adapted to meet the child’s best interests. When circumstances change or something happens, you should review and update arrangements if necessary.
2. You can ask for a contact time review at any time
Your contact arrangements are set out at the beginning of your guardianship, but you can ask for a review at any time. If things aren’t working out or you feel like there may be a better approach to take, you can share your thoughts with us and start the formal review process.
3. Life story sessions help children understand their identity
Many children say they struggle to understand what has happened to them and go through a loss of identity. Life story sessions encourage children to be open and talk about their lives, so they can start to build that confidence back.
“Our biggest shock since becoming guardians has been how difficult we’ve found contact. Our relationship with the whole family has massively changed since we started caring for them and it’s created a lot of tension. I dreaded meetings. I wish I’d known help was available earlier as it’s made a massive difference, things finally seem a lot more manageable.”