The National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) has issued a revised judicial protocol, endorsed by Sir Andrew McFarlane, for referring children and families to child contact centres in family proceedings. 

There is currently no legal requirement for child contact centres to have accreditation status. This means there are no minimum standards operating for unaccredited child contact centres and services. Those centres which achieve NACCC accreditation have agreed standards for both supported and supervised child contact centres, to ensure consistently high standards for safeguarding, Data Protection Act - GDPR, volunteer and staff checks and training.

In the introduction to the protocol, Sir Andrew McFarlane, urges magistrates and judges to ensure that they refer families only to accredited centres so that every child benefits from the same high level of care and safeguarding. 

Under the protocol, for supervised and supported child contact, courts must inform parties that their case will be referred to an accredited child contact centre or service. Parents and children must attend a pre-visit assessment. A centre may refuse families in line with their safeguarding policy, or if they do not have the necessary facilities. The court should ensure parties know that the centre is usually a temporary solution for contact. After three months, there should be a review of whether contact can move out of the centre. Only in exceptional circumstances will contact continue to take place at a contact centre after a six-monthly review has taken place.

When referring families, the court order should include certain matters, including directions about how the referral will be made and the parties' next steps if the referral is refused. The court should direct that specific safeguarding information about the family be sent to the centre.

The order should also contain information about the following:

• The preparation that the child will receive before contact starts and who will be responsible for providing it, whether any other family members and significant adults can be included in a contact visit, whether photographs can be taken of or shown to the child and shared on social media, and whether the child may be taken outside the centre and, if so, for how long.
• Whether a social worker, CAFCASS officer or children's guardian will be attending any contact sessions and whether a report will be prepared based on contact observations, and how the costs of the report will be met.
• Where the order is for contact at a supervised child contact centre, whether a report is to be prepared based on contact observations and how the costs of the reports are to be met.
• If possible, an exit plan with a timetable for contact to move from the centre into a different level of contact or the community. One party should be responsible for informing the centre when a place is no longer required.

I am pleased that this protocol has been reissued and that it has been endorsed by Sir Andrew McFarlane. I believe that there should be minimum standards for the services afforded to children and their families and I am pleased that NACCC accreditation provides a quality mark for those services. The protocol acts as a helpful aide memoire when considering the options available for children to spend time with parents/other family members and provides useful guidance as to what directions may need to be included in any court order.