-
Status
Received: on time
-
Income
£39.4K
-
Spending
£25.7K
Public benefits
Write your charity’s purpose here: To provide supported contact in safe neutral child friendly places in Coleraine and Ballycastle where children from separated families can spend time with one or both parents and sometimes other family members . Children are often broken hearted ,confused, sad, angry ,upset when their parents separate and
this is made even worse when they no longer see a parent or plans are not working well. The emotional pain makes life at home, at school and with their friends very difficult. Children do have the legal right to grow up knowing the love and care of both parents. Where parents find it impossible to make these arrangements due to a breakdown of trust Coleraine Child Contact Centre can provide a safe neutral place where the relationship between a child and parent can be restored . The hope is that when the time is right more normal arrangements can be made outside the Centre . Referrals can come through the Courts, Social Services or people can contact the centre directly to make enquiries. By attending the Child Contact Centre the children benefit from knowing that the parent they no longer live with still loves and cares for them. It allows their relationship with the contact parent to be restored in a safe place. It allows parents to rebuild trust with each other so that the child can benefit from the best possible relationship with both parents The Coleraine Area Child Contact Centre has been open since 2006. In that time over 350 families have attended the Centre. Presently 19 families attend the centre. Of those that have left to the best of our knowledge around 80% have been able to make positive arrangements for the child to see the contact parent in a safe sustainable way . There are children today who have regular contact with a parent that otherwise would have been lost if the service of CACCC was not available. Evaluation forms are completed regularly, statistics are collated and feedback is encouraged from users of the service. A risk assessment is completed for each family who attends so that they do not fall into the category of requiring supervised contact. There is a contract parents sign so that all the arrangements for the child works well for them. Health and Safety training as well as Child protection training is essential for all our volunteers so the child is kept from harm. The benefit of our charity is for children who have suffered emotionally from the trauma of the break up of their parents relationship and have lost or are at risk of losing contact with a loving parent. The charity’s beneficiaries are ... 1.Children of separated families. 2.Contact parents who otherwise would not see their child. 3.Resident parents who are reassured by having a safe place for contact. 4.Matrimonial Courts who make Contact Orders and refer to the Centre where no alternative will work 5.Social Services where it is essential children have contact but it does not need to eb supervised The only private benefit flowing from this purpose is experience for trained volunteers who may choose to follow a career in social care and this is incidental and necessary because all Volunteers need to be skilled in being impartial, confidential and putting the needs of the child first.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
Write your charity’s purpose here: To provide supported contact in safe neutral child friendly places in Coleraine and Ballycastle where children from separated families can spend time with one or both parents and sometimes other family members. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include restored relationships between a child
and the parent with whom they no longer live. Research has shown that it is conflict between parents that causes most emotional damage to children . Penelope Leech in her recent book ‘Helping Children Hang on to Both their Parents ‘ states ‘Your former partner is the very best father or mother to your child … the role of the father , from earliest days ,is so much a factor in what is going to happen later on in a child’s life .. Parents matter.’ By attending the Child Contact Centre the children benefit from knowing that the parent they no longer live with still loves and cares for them. It allows their relationship with the contact parent to be restored in a safe place. It allows parents to rebuild trust with each other so that the child can benefit from the best possible relationship with both parents These benefits are demonstrated through feedback using regular evaluation forms and comment forms with are available at each session. Observation by volunteers and the attendance register also provide evidence. The needs of the child are paramount and any child protection issue is referred to Social Services. The charity’s beneficiaries are separated families living in the Causeway and Glens Council area. The only private benefit flowing from this purpose is experience for trained volunteers who may choose to follow a career in social care and this is incidental and necessary because all Volunteers need to be skilled in being impartial, confidential and putting the needs of the child first.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of education
- The advancement of health or the saving of lives
- The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity
Who the charity helps
- Addictions (drug/solvent/alcohol abuse)
- Carers
- Children (5-13 year olds)
- Ethnic minorities
- Ex-offenders and prisoners
- General public
- Learning disabilities
- Men
- Mental health
- Older people
- Parents
- Physical disabilities
- Preschool (0-5 year olds)
- Sensory disabilities
- Unemployed/low income
- Volunteers
- Women
- Youth (14-25 year olds)
How the charity works
- Advice/advocacy/information
- Counselling/support
- Education/training
- Human rights/equality
- Volunteer development
