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Contents

1. Approving and Planning Contact  
2. Using the Arnos Resource Centre  
3. Recording Contact  
4. Cancellation of Contact
5. Review of Contact Arrangements  
6. Suspension or Termination of Contact  

1. Approving and Planning Contact

For detailed guidance on all aspects of contact for Looked After children, see Contact Planning Guidance

Looked After children should be encouraged and supported to maintain contact with their parents and siblings in a manner consistent with the child’s Care Plan; which, itself, must take account of any Contact Order that may be in force.

Contact between children and parents or siblings may only be permitted if previously agreed by the social worker and should be set out in the child’s Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.

The purpose of the contact and how it will be evaluated must be made clear in the Plan. 

The need to supervise contact should be considered as part of the assessment and planning process by the social worker and approved by the team manager.

The primary focus of the assessment of this issue will be the safety and welfare of the child.  Where supervised contact is deemed necessary, the reasons should be clearly recorded and the role of the supervisor or supervisors clearly defined.

A written risk assessment must be completed and approved before supervised contacts begin.  This assessment must take account of all factors that could impact on the success of supervised contact and relevant safeguards including:

• Any history of abuse or threats of abuse to the child, other carers or staff.
• Previous incidents of disruption or threats to disrupt contact or failure to co-operate with conditions agreed for supervised contact.
• Previous incidents or threats of abduction.
• Previous incidents of coercion or inappropriate behaviour during contact.
• The transient or unsettled lifestyle of parents, as opposed to long-standing local connections.

Where any of the above features in the risk assessment, and supervised contact is to continue, the risk assessment must state the specific measures to be put in place to minimise risks.

Arrangements for contact should always be clearly detailed in the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record, setting out how contact will take place, the venue, the frequency and how the arrangements will be evaluated and reviewed.

Where contact is extended as part of a plan to gradually return the child to the parents’ care, the Placement with Parents Procedure should be followed. 

Parents can be assisted with travelling expenses to enable contact to go ahead.  The social worker should submit a request for financial support to his or her manager, with reasons.  Once the manager’s approval has been given, the social worker should ask the team’s administrative staff to arrange for the payments to be made or travel warrants to be issued. 

2. Using the Arnos Resource Centre

The Arnos Resource Centre offers a base for supervised and unsupervised contact to take place.  See Access to Family Centres and Contact Details Appendix.

As soon as it is known that a service is required from the Arnos Resource Centre, the child’s social worker should follow the procedure for making referrals to the Arnos Resource Centre as set out in that chapter. 

3. Recording Contact

Any observations made during contact should be recorded, covering actions, behaviours and responses of individuals involved in contact, including time-keeping and risk management issues.  Any interventions, for example to assist parents in difficulties or to intercede in a possible risk situation, must be noted in full.

4. Cancellation of Contact

Where contact does not take place in accordance with the Contact Agreement and/or the child’s Placement Plan/Placement Information Record, there must be a good reason, for example that the child is too ill to attend. Wherever possible, the staff/carer should consult the child’s social worker in advance if they consider there is a good reason to cancel the contact. 

If contact is cancelled, the social worker or, if the social worker is not available, the staff/carer must ensure that the child and, as far as practicable, the parent is informed in advance and that the reason for the decision is explained. The social worker or staff/carer should arrange an alternative contact. 

If contact does not take place and consultation has not been possible with the social worker, the staff/carer must inform the child’s social worker as soon as possible and confirm in writing the decision to cancel and the reason.

See Section 6 for the Suspension and Termination of Contract.

Contact arrangements must not be withdrawn as a Sanction imposed on a child. See Sanctions Procedure.

5. Review of Contact Arrangements

The social worker and his/her manager should keep contact arrangements, including the continuing need for supervision, under regular review. 

The arrangements should also be reviewed at the child’s Looked After Reviews.

Where a Contact Order is in force and it is considered that the contact arrangements set out in the Order should be altered, the agreement of the child and the parents should be sought and legal advice should be obtained as to the need to seek a variation of the Court Order.

6. Suspension or Termination of Contact

Where it is considered that the child’s contact with the parents should be suspended or terminated, the social worker must be consulted and legal advice should be obtained.

Any such proposal should be made in the context of the overall aims and objectives of the Care Plan.

Any proposal to suspend or terminate the contact should be considered as part of the child’s Looked After Review, unless the circumstances require an urgent decision to be made.

Where it not possible to hold a Looked After Review because of the urgency of the situation, the reasons for the proposal must be explained to the parents and to the child, and their agreement obtained if possible. 

Where the proposal is to suspend the contact, the length and purpose of the suspension together with the basis upon which contact will be reinstated must be made clear.

The approval of the Designated Manager (Contact - Restriction/Suspension/termination of) should be obtained to any proposal to suspend or terminate contact.

Written confirmation of the decision made, together with the reasons, must be sent to the parents, child (depending on age) and any other relevant person (for example an advocate, Independent Visitor or Children’s Guardian).  Staff/carers and other agencies involved with the child’s care must also be informed. 

Where the child is the subject of an Emergency Protection Order, Interim Care Order or Care Order, an application to the Court for authority to terminate the contact will always be necessary if contact is to be suspended for more than 7 days. 

As soon as such a decision is made, Legal Services should be contacted as a matter of urgency so that the necessary Court action can be initiated.

End