Supported contact takes place in a variety of neutral community venues where there are facilities to enable children to develop and maintain positive relationships with non-resident parents and other family members. They are suitable for families where no significant risk to the child or those around the child have been identified. Basic elements:

• Impartiality
• Staff and volunteers are available for assistance but there is no close observation, monitoring or evaluation of individual contacts/conversation.
• Several families are usually together in one or a number of rooms.
• Encouragement for families to develop mutual trust.
• No detailed reports made unless risk of harm.

Supervised contact is used when it has been determined that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering harm during contact. Referrals will usually be made by a court, CAFCASS officer, local authority or another child contact centre, but in exceptional circumstances a child contact centre may accept a self-referral. Supervised contact ensures the physical safety and emotional well being of a child. It also assists in building and sustaining positive relationships between a child and members of their non-resident family. This requires supervisors who are skilled and confident enough to intervene immediately and firmly if necessary and can work professionally in a planned way with vulnerable children and highly distressed adults. Supervised contact requires the following:

• Individual supervision of contact with the supervisor in constant sight and sound of the child, which, in turn requires that they have the support of a nearby colleague.
• A high commitment of resources including continuity of supervision and the professional oversight of staff.
• The supervisor and the centre having access to all relevant court papers and transcripts of any judgements in order to supervise effectively. The party making the referral ensuring that the court gives permission for such disclosure.
• All contact to be closely observed and recorded in a manner appropriate to the purpose of protecting children and working in a planned way with parents.
• A venue that provides privacy and confidentiality to each child and family and is structured to provide maximum safety to all concerned and maximum stimulation for children.
• Contact is time limited with a planned aim to regularly access and review progress and the possibility of safer future outcomes.

Certain centres offer both supported and supervised child contact.

These can be used to identify the issues that have prevented contact from starting, caused it to break down, or made it unworkable. They will be carried out over a short period of time and include:

• One or more interviews with both parents either separate and/or together
• Interviews with any other adults involved either directly or indirectly in the contact process
• Possible contact with statutory agencies involved with the adults and children such as schools, health visitors and doctors.

Work will also be undertaken with the children. The nature and extent of this work will be dependant upon the childrens' ages and level of understanding. It is also likely to include time spent without either of the childrens' parents present and if it is agreed and appropriate time spent with their non resident parent. 

Indirect contact is used where direct contact is either unsafe, unworkable and or not in the childs best interests. Contact can be in the form of letters, cards, gifts or emails through a third party (such as a solicitor or a  CAFCASS officer). It will initially take place over a six month period with an option to extend it to twelve months if required. 

Indirect contact is not available in supported child contact centres. This form of contact is often used to re-introduce a child  to a non-resident parent when they have not seen for a long period of time or there are concerns about domestic violence or child abuse.

Introduced once a regular, safe and sustainable pattern of contact has been established within a child contact centre or elsewhere, involving the child and non-resident parent being accompanied on visits to places such as local parks, shops and restaurants by members of Provider staff from the service. The members of staff responsible for managing and supervising the contact will work closely with the Authority practitioner and the family to ensure that the transport arrangements and places being visited are both safe and meet the needs of the child involved in the contact.

They will also prepare and submit a short report to the Authority practitioner within an agreed timescale with the Authority. This report will give details of the place visited, the child's reaction to the visit, the non resident parents understanding of and ability to meet to the arrangements for future visits.

Used where a child has no knowledge of or has not had contact with their non-resident parent for sometime. The work will be undertaken as agreed with the Authority practitioner and the partnership provider at the point of referrals it will focus upon establishing and then building upon what a child knows about their family.
The members of staff responsible for delivering the service/program will also prepare and submit a short report to the Authority practitioner as agreed upon referral. This report will give details of the work that had been undertaken, the childs reaction to it, any problems that arose and what, if any changes need to be made in advance of the programme proceeding further.

Handovers can take place at the majority of child contact centres and are set up through the normal referral process. Parents do not have to meet, as the handover will be done by child contact centre staff or volunteers. The non-resident parent will then take the child out of the centre for the duration of the visit, bringing them back to the centre afterwards. It may be possible for the child to be picked up from one of the child contact centres in the morning and then taken back to another child contact centre in the afternoon if they are in the same area or at another mutually agreed venue.