We are an independent provider facilitating child-centred supervised and supported contact for children and family members in the UK. We work with many local authorities to deliver this service and have experience in supporting families through this process.
The welfare and interests of children are our paramount concern. By providing a professional supervised contact service we can help provide family support through a difficult time in their lives. Allowing family members to spend time with their children.
Our aim is to enable children to keep in touch with their parents and families in a safe, friendly, and informal atmosphere.
We believe that every child has the right to love and support of parents and families, wherever possible. We work to ensure that the diverse needs of children are met and that our child contact centres provide facilities that reflect our child-centred approach.
We employ an experienced, multicultural workforce including qualified social workers which reflect the diverse nature of our work. We coordinate our workers to meet the needs of the children and their families and are able to match workers to meet language, race, cultural, behavioral and disability needs.
We believe in partnership working by providing an open and honest service. We are proud of our track record in building solid working relationships with parents, families, foster carer’s and professionals.
We strive to make contact a positive and happy experience for children and families.
Our Services
Supervised Contact
Supported Contact
Community Contact
Family Support
Asylum Support
Handover
Transportation
Room Only Hire
Supervised Contact
Supervised contact ensures the physical safety and emotional well-being of a child when risks have been identified. It also assists in building and sustaining positive relationships between a child and members of their family. It takes place at one of our centres, another venue, or in the community. One or two members of staff who know the family’s circumstances observe at all times and provide reports of the contact sessions afterwards. Find out more about Supervised Contact here
Supported Contact
Supported contact aims to provide a safe, neutral and comfortable place for children to see their parents or family. It takes place in our centre in a private room. Families have access to the communal areas and kitchen areas to prepare meals or snacks. Staff are available for assistance but there is no close observation, monitoring or evaluation of individual contacts or conversations.
Community Contact
We can arrange for contact within community settings, away from our centres but supervised by one of our team.
Asylum Support
We provide appropriate personnel to attend meetings and interviews, most recently providing a service in Bedford working with unaccompanied minors. We provide independent and impartial members of staff to attend both visual and age assessments of asylum seekers who have entered the country. We are available at short notice and have attended interviews both at the police station and neutral venues to support the asylum seeker when they are being interviewed by the two social workers. We ensure that the needs of the asylum seekers are being met at all times and that they are all treated appropriated during the interview process. All our staff are trained in supporting young people and have been trained as appropriate adults when supporting them.
Handover
We supervise the handover of children from one parent or carer to another. This is done at our centre or at an agreed location in the community. It is normally used when one of the parties feels at risk or uncomfortable about seeing each other. We can also provide a full handover service, collecting and transporting a child door-to-door.
Transportation
For all our services, whether at our centre or at other venues, we provide a transport service for children and young people.
Room Only Hire
Our rooms are available for booking. These can be for professional meetings with children, young people or whole families. We can also host mediation and social work conferences.
Family Support
Our Family Support services empower families to reach their full potential. We are able to provide consistent family support up to 24hours per day over short or extended periods of time. By providing family support we are able to minimise the risk of poor outcomes for families and are also able to reunite families that have been separated previously, providing them with the help they need to provide consistent and nurturing environments for their children.
Swan Family Gallery
What clients say about us
Locations / Contact us
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Lambeth
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Bedford
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Coventry
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Cardiff East
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Cardiff West
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Liverpool North
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Liverpool South
14 White Hart Street
SE11 4EP
0207 733 7215
F3 West One, 63-67 Bromham Road, Bedford
MK40 2FG
01234 867188
bedford@swanfamily.org.uk
Eagle House, 14 Queen's Rd, Coventry
CV1 3EG
024 7771 9888
Pembroke House, Spring Meadow Business Park, Springmeadow Rd, Rumney
CF3 2ES
029 2167 2900
Cowbridge Court, Cowbridge Rd West, Cardiff
CF5 5BS
029 2167 2900
142/148 Stanley Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool
L5 7QQ
0151 3181 237
Unit 2D/E Wavertree Boulevard South
L7 9PF
0151 3181 236
Vacancies at Swan Family Centres
Knowledge Hub
As experts in the Family Contact services field we believe in the power of research, statistics, trends and the sharing of knowledge. You can find some of our latest publications below and you can join our mailing list to receive further communications here..
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Supervised Contact - Frequently Asked Questions
What is supervised contact? Supervised contact means that your contact with a child will be in the presence of a trained contact worker. Contact sessions are supervised by experienced members of staff who are trained to intervene when absolutely necessary in a professional manner. The staff member will also complete an un-biased factual observation report recording what happens during the contact. What is a supervised contact order? A child Contact Order can be made to give children the right to see both of their parents. The amount of contact and the arrangements made should take into account the situation immediately before the child Contact Order, if there is deemed to be risk the order will specify that Supervised Contact is required. When is supervised contact necessary? Supervised contact is used when it has been determined that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering harm when spending time with a family member. Where do Supervised Contact Sessions take place? Supervised contact sessions take place either in one of our Supervised Contact rooms at a Swan Family Centre or close by in the community. Our contact centre rooms are individually themed and have lots of resources such as toys, arts and crafts, books etc for children of all ages and allow for a relaxed contact session which enables children to feel at home and safe and encourages positive interaction between children and parents. If Supervised contact takes place in the community, you would usually meet at the contact centre and visit somewhere within walking distance such as a park, accompanied by the Supervised Contact worker. How long can supervised contact sessions last? This is dependant on the court order and what is agreed in court. Why is supervised contact important? Supervised contact ensures the physical and emotional safety of a child. Supervised contact assists in building and sustaining positive relationships between a child and members of their non-resident family. Who pays for supervised contact? If a referral is made by the local authority then supervised contact sessions are usually funded. For private arrangements, the cost of supervised contact is covered by the parent as stipulated in the court order or as mutually agreed by the parents out of court. Can Grandparents have supervised contact? Yes this is possible but would be highlighted within the court order or as part of a mutual agreement between all parties. What is included in a supervised contact report? A supervised contact report covers a wide range of information, including Timekeeping (and ability to adhere to any special measures such as arriving early), Visual Check of the Child’s physical state, Physical Interaction between the parent and the child, any intervention made by the Contact worker, any disputes and how they are handled, the emotional impact of contact on the child and any changes required/recommendations for future contact arrangements. How do I make a referral for Supervised contact at Swan Family Centres? To make a referral, initially, you should send us an enquiry – this can be done via the form below. Once we have received your enquiry we will send you a formal Referral form and our pricing structure. Before your first contact can be set up we need to have a separate meeting with each parent to discuss the details of contact and go through the referral. To get the process started a referral needs to be filled in and sent back to us and the £40 set up fee needs to be paid. Form ID:4074
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Swan Family: Stacey Murray Staff Profile
Meet Stacey Murray! Stacey joined Swan Family centres almost 3 years ago in May 2016, she has a total of 6 years experience in Children's Contact Services. Stacey is Centre Co-ordinator at Cardiff West Swan Family Centre. Role and Responsibilities As a Centre Co-ordinator, daily duties for Stacey include scheduling a large number of contact sessions, undertake meetings, work with other professionals internal and external to the service and ensure that safe, positive contacts take place. Stacey also works closely with staff and the Administration team to ensure we deliver the correct reports and on all aspects of our contract. Ensuring our Core Values are met Stacey is passionate in ensuring we meet our obligations for a child-centred service - she says: p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} I ensure that safe positive contacts take place in the centres and in the community, liaise closely with social workers and Guardians and make sure there are stimulating and age appropriate facilities for all families. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none}I always treat all workers, families and professionals with respect and have built good working relationships with all. How does Stacey feel about her role at Swan Family? p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} I enjoy working at Swan Family centre as a coordinator as it challenges me every day and Swanstaff have offered me great opportunities within the company. It give me a sense of achievement to see Families enjoying contact and to know that we are working closely with Cardiff children services to ensure the children’s safety and well being.
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Swan Family: Positive Spaces for Contact
Positive Spaces for Contact The word ‘positive’ is crucial to the service we provide for families at our Swan Family Contact Centres, where the children have been placed into care. Up until this point, the families experience in life would probably be described as ‘negative’. Our Contact Centres are the first step towards a brighter new future for both the children and their families. Positivity is paramount to the process being a success. A positive contact experience does not happen by accident; behind each contact session, a very careful planning process has taken place. The word ‘positive’ is crucial to the service we provide for families where the children have been placed into care. Up until this point, the families experience in life would probably be described as ‘negative’. Our Contact Centres are the first step towards a brighter new future for both the children and their families. Positivity is paramount to the process being a success. A positive contact does not happen by accident; behind each contact a very careful planning process has taken place. In most cases, families are referred to us by a Social Worker after the breakdown in the parents’ ability to keep their child safe. For the child, this is an anxious time where everything they had known has been turned upside down. Therefore it is essential that our Contact Centres offer warmth and safety with the real possibility of new beginnings. Our Contact Centres represent the start of a positive new future for our families, without judgement. A Supervised Contact is not always an easy situation for people to be in or understand. Imagine carrying out a routine task that requires little or no thought, and imagine this again with the pressure of a stranger observing you completing this task. It would be a daunting prospect for many of us, feeling ‘under the spotlight’ in this way. This could make you feel uncomfortable, uneasy, or even angry. Our centres are designed to take these feelings and pressures into consideration. We endeavour to make your experience as comfortable as possible for all of our families. We are confident from our services and the feedback we receive, this is achievable. We aim to achieve postive spaces for contact through 3 key avenues: Our Staff Our Centres Our Facilities Our Staff Our Family Contact Centres are managed by competent staff who have extensive knowledge of the development of children. They also have the awareness of the possible psychological effects both the children and families may be experiencing, and the ability to empathise with them. Although we may not be able to directly relate to each individual situation, we do our best to pre-empt any signs of negativity during each contact, as this is a very emotional time for families. Our Centres Our Family Contact Centres are tailored to meet the needs of our families. Rooms are themed and provide scope for the families to relax, play and enjoy their time together. Each room is designed with families and their needs in mind, offering different backdrops to spark imagination and enthusiasm. They are also designed to give each family the privacy they deserve during their time together. Our Facilities All of our contact rooms have comfy sofas and bright décor that creates an ambiance of fun and positivity while families can enjoy valuable time together. There is at least one shared kitchen at each of our Contact Centres providing an opportunity for families to share a meal together. Meal times are an important social time for families and we positively encourage baking, cooking and eating together to help build broken bonds. These meals can be eaten within the kitchen, or taken to the contact room you are utilising for privacy. Each Contact Centre is equipped with games for all age groups from very young children to young adults. They are yet another opportunity to focus on activities that promote sharing and conversation during the contact experience. We are dedicated to providing positive experiences for the families who visit us by providing a welcoming, bright environment where everyone is treated with respect. When so much negativity has been experienced, we pride ourselves in making the difference in the lives of the families we support. The bright chairs, decorative walls and a warm greeting offered by a member of our dedicated team, welcome you to our Contact Centres. Prior to your first visit, each family’s needs will have been carefully assessed and a contact tailored to them will have been planned. Behind the transition from reception to a private room there has been a wealth of thought by our experienced Managers and Social Workers. Each room has a different theme and you could find yourself transported to any number of new worlds within the Contact Centre, each providing a safe and happy environment. Our first room ‘Lots of Spots’, is a good ‘all round’ room that lends itself to larger family groups and with its own kitchen just next door and a large table it is ideal for a family meal to be eaten around or maybe a board game to be played upon. For the teenagers our ‘Graffiti’ room is a space with bright, bold graphics on the walls and comfy beanbags to relax on. The ‘Over The Rainbow’ room invites you to a world where the colours aren’t limited to seven. There is room to share a book on the sofa or on the beanbags. ‘Monkey Magic’ is a room for our younger visitors with an array of toys and activities that will keep even the hardest to please occupied. ‘The Owls Nest’ is a room designed with our baby visitors in mind, where plush comfy play mats litter the floor invitingly and soft music plays from the hanging mobiles to create peace and tranquility for babies and their family to relax in. And last, but not least, grab your flippers and snorkel and dive into ‘Sea World’, a fantastic room that creates the feeling of truly being under the sea without water. Tropical fish swim leisurely across the walls, and the comfy sofas make a perfect resting place to reflect. All of these different ‘worlds’ offer a different experience but with several things in common, they are all comfortable, warm and bright. ‘Have Hope, Be Strong, Laugh Loud and Play Hard, Live In The Moment, Smile Often’ is just one example of the inspirational messages across our walls. Our Contact Centres are designed to offer the security our families need as they take their first tentative steps forward, adjusting to the new life ahead. It is with pride that we take these steps with them and make the time they share together the best and most positive it can be. For More information about our services do not hesitate to contact us using the enquiry form below. Or you can download a copy of this article as a PDF here Positive spaces for Contact.pdf Size: 1.05 MB Form ID:4182
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Swan Family: Child Centred Approach
Our aim at Swan Family Centres is to ensure that Children are always at the heart of the service and that their voices are heard. Positive outcomes for the children who visit our centres is our ultimate aim and we strive to ensure that their experience during visits with us and their prospects when they stop visiting us are positive. There are many ways that we do this, some of which we have showcased in the graphic below:
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Swan Family: Life Story Work
Life Story work is used to gather and record information about a child or young person’s family, community and personal life journey. It helps them develop a sense of their own identity. It can also be used as a great source of information about childhood experiences and achievements. At Swan Family Centres, we have implemented Life Story Work by creating a journal for all children that visit our centres. We have specifically trained staff in Life Story Work too which makes it easier to assist the children in doing this activity. Life story work is an important way of helping a child to integrate their past into the present, in order to help them to move into the future and therefore those that live with them, have the opportunity to know about their past. Our contact centres refer to them as the children’s contact books. They are completed by our contact workers after the sessions. It is a form of continuing care that once the children no longer has contact sessions at the centre, the books are passed onto the social worker and other necessary parties who will keep them with their life story folder that follows them. Our contact workers will write observations of events and memories that took place during the child’s visits for example, an important birthday, first steps, first meeting with family members, Christmas, a certain activity that the family does together etc. They will write a brief observation of what happened and where possible add a photograph of the activity! Lucy Glass, Director of Contact Centres said: “The biggest thing we have learnt as a team is that some children spend so much time at the contact centre and it’s really important for their memories to be captured and shared. Social workers have also complimented staff on the way these have been completed too.”
