Contact
Many of the children placed at SACCS have suffered severe intra-familial abuse and will have had varied experiences of being in care.
At SACCS, we have a vast experience of assessing contact need and agreeing with individual Social Workers and other professionals about the appropriate levels of contact that the child should have with siblings, parents, family members and other important people in the child's life. We continually listen, as part of the ongoing recovery process, to the child’s wishes and assess and promote contact at a level appropriate to their therapeutic need.
Each child has a contact plan drawn up through consultation with the child’s Social Worker as part of the National Contract IPA agreement and the IRP. The plan will outline the recommended frequency, duration and nature of the contact (i.e. direct or indirect) and identify and note any potential risks or hazards. Contact is regularly reviewed to monitor its continued benefit to the child.
Whatever decisions are made with Social Workers regarding contact, staff within the Recovery Team will ensure that each child is supported fully in the process. Comprehensive contact reports are completed and shared with relevant professionals. It may and often is necessary for contact sessions to be held at a neutral venue in a town away from the place where the child lives to which SACCS can provide a range of venues in this case; all are conducive to safe contact sessions.
In addition to providing normal supervised contact, children often need an opportunity to explore the past by asking questions of a parent and receiving direct answers. The child is empowered to ask these questions during therapeutic contact sessions. We have also developed staff skills in supervising ‘goodbye’ contacts between children and relatives.
