Select a region
A vital independent service, which allows children to have contact with their parents and family members following child protection concerns or the breakdown of a relationship, has been reaccredited.
The Guernsey Child Contact Centre was first accredited in 2009 but needed to be reassessed by the National Association of Child Contact Centres. After an inspection from an NACC, which included CEO Elizabeth Coe, it has received a certificate of enhanced accreditation.
"We are absolutely delighted to be reaccredited as it is independent recognition of the quality of service we are providing and the expertise and experience of our staff and volunteers," said chair Margaret Spaargaren.
"This is a message to other agencies that even though we might be in the voluntary sector, we are still working to the highest possible standards."
The service started in 2001 when Jurat Spaargaren was the court welfare officer and involved in cases of contact between children, their parents and the wider family. Together with Jane Le Conte, Clive de la Haye and Pat Yabsley, who were all involved in fostering and adoption, they recognised there was nowhere safe where children could meet parents and family members.
"We started offering supported contact on Saturday afternoons at Styx and at that stage, all we were doing was monitoring and facilitating to ensure that children had toys to play with, the parents had help if they needed it and there were refreshments available," said Jurat Spaargaren.
A charity was established and the value of the service was recognised by Social Services and the courts. In 2009, there was a growing need for supervised contact where there was a concern for the child around contact and so the Guernsey Child Contact Centre became a limited by guarantee entity, employed a manager and signed a service level agreement with the States of Guernsey who then provided some funding.
"That allowed us to develop the service we were offering and our once a week supported sessions grew to eight sessions a week for supervised contact and a weekly session for supported contact," said Jurat Spaargaren.
The Guernsey Child Contact Centre is now based at Roseville along with Families First and Home Start.
"We have had a long relationship with the National Association of Child Contact Centres as they gave us a lot of advice and support when we first set up. They suggested at the time that we should aspire to become accredited and so when we became an LBG, it seemed like the next step and they were fantastic in helping us through that process," said Jurat Spaargaren.
"To have Elizabeth Coe, the chief executive, come over for our reaccreditation inspection was a real honour. They spoke to manager Gay Whitfield and some of the team, checked our administration and management and looked around the facilities so it was incredibly thorough," said Jurat Spaargaren.
She added that the reaccreditation had come at a time when they needed to raise their profile as more funds were required to meet demand for the service and new volunteers recruited and then trained.
ABN AMRO is one company which has supported the Guernsey Contact Centre since inception. As well as one of its employees serving as treasurer, the company provides admin support and office space for meetings, has donated new carpet and undertaken various fundraising initiatives.
Managing director Graham Thoume said the reaccreditation was thoroughly deserved.
"What impresses us about the team at the Guernsey Child Contact Centre is how hard they work and how much time they give to help families within the Bailiwick. Their passion and commitment to make a difference is to be applauded and I hope that this reaccreditation goes some way to helping them access additional funds in order to continue this vital service," he said.
