FAQ Volunteers and staff

It is best if you do not volunteer at a centre that you are currently using to see your children. This is likely to be considered a conflict of interest. We would advise that you make your most of the time you have there with your children and make sure they are getting the best you can offer for the time being.

In the future it is beyond doubt that you will have an amazing range of experience that would be invaluable to a centre. On this basis, you might want to consider volunteering at a centre once you are no longer using this.

You don’t personally have to be accredited but the centre or organisation where you volunteer/work may wish to become accredited. NACCC’s accreditation for supported child contact centres and enhanced accreditation for supervised child contact centres is considered as a good practice quality mark for child contact centres in the UK.

There is currently not a legal requirement for contact centres to be accredited but Cafcass will only make referrals to centres that have achieved NACCC accreditation. The Courts also recognise the value of NACCC Accreditation and will usually seek to ensure this is in place prior to working with a contact centre.

NACCC is responsible for the accreditation of child contact centres in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. For information on child contact centres in Scotland please contact Relationships Scotland.

For further information on joining NACCC and achieving accreditation status click here.

• Click here to find your nearest centre.
• Search using your postcode or town – this will then display your local centres.
• Contact the centre directly to see if they have any vacancies at this time.
• The co-ordinator or manager at the centre will answer any queries you may have, explain the application process and will ask you to complete some paperwork.

Thank you for your support – it is much appreciated.

Volunteering at a contact centre has the potential to be one of the most rewarding things that you will ever do. It is proven that volunteering is good for your emotional wellbeing and you will get to meet interesting and passionate people. You will also have the opportunity to learn new skills.

The recruitment process for volunteering at a contact centre is similar to applying for any other role. This is deliberately robust to ensure that the people using contact centres are safe and appropriate. To volunteer you will need to complete an application form and attend an interview. DBS checks will be undertaken, and references will be sought.

There is more information about volunteering on the NACCC website. You might also want to contact your local centre in order to understand what opportunities might be available.

Being a membership organisation, NACCC does not have any involvement with the level of salary or pay-scale that child contact staff are awarded. Please check with your local centre regarding any enquiries on potential vacancies that they might have.

Staff at some contact centres work there on a voluntary basis. This is often essential in terms of making sure services can be delivered to families in a cost-effective way. NACCC is incredibly proud to work with thousands of volunteers that help us to ensure that, the ability to pay is not a barrier to child contact.

It is likely that your local centre will have a rota system where you will be required to volunteer say once every four to six weeks. However, every centre runs differently so please check with your local centre.

A child contact centre is a safe, friendly and neutral place where children of separated families can spend time with one or both parents and sometimes other family members. They are child-centred environments that provide toys, games and facilities that reflect the diverse needs of children affected by family breakdown. 

We currently do not have a central listing of vacancies on this website. Please contact your local centre to see if they have any vacancies at this time.

• Click here to find your nearest centre on this website.
• Search using your postcode or town – this will then display your local centres.
• Contact the centre directly to see if they have any vacancies at this time.
• If there are any vacancies, the co-ordinator or manager at the centre will answer any queries you may have, explain the application process and will ask you to complete the necessary paperwork.

You do not need any particular qualifications to work as a Supported Child Contact Centre Co-ordinator, but co-ordinator training and annual safeguarding training will be mandatory once you start work. You will also need to complete the mandatory NACCC training programme. You should have appropriate qualifications and/or experience in working directly with parents or children. A knowledge of child development and good team-working skills would be helpful. Many supported child contact centres are open at weekends so the ability to work weekends and unsocial hours would be helpful.

If you want to apply to be a Supervised Child Contact Centre Contact Worker, undertaking supervision of contact, then you must be able to demonstrate that you have an appropriate vocational or academic qualification. The minimum requirement is an NVQ Level 3 in Child or Social Care with GSCE English and Maths Grade C or above. The following skills, experience and personal qualities are also likely to be either essential or desirable:

• Understanding of family dynamics, the impact on children and parents of family breakdown and current related issues.
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of Family Law, in particular as it relates to separated families and the provision of contact.
• Ability to make detailed observations and provide accurate reports.
• Demonstrable competence in identifying need and assisting in support of an overall programme of intervention and casework.
• Knowledge of safeguarding children and child protection, with an understanding of key risk factors.
• Knowledge and understanding of the role of the (Local Authority) Designated Officer.
• Capacity to anticipate, diffuse and manage conflict.
• Knowledge and understanding of other related initiatives and fields, e.g. adult mental health, parenting techniques, domestic violence, family law.
• Ability to work closely and non-judgementally with other people, showing an understanding of boundaries and a commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory working.
• Excellent communication skills with all ages and ability to provide clear, written information.
• Ability to deal sensitively with people under stress.
• IT skills.
• Positive attitude towards training and development.
• Willingness to work flexibly and outside office hours.

If you want to apply to be a Supervised Child Contact Centre Co-ordinator a formal qualification is desirable (Dip.SW,CQSW or other recognised social work qualification). The following skills, experience, and personal qualities are also likely to be either essential or desirable.

• Minimum of three years’ experience working with children or caring for children within a statutory setting.
• Experience in child-centred work with specific knowledge/and or experience in fostering, adoption, teaching or family work.
• Experience of managing a team of volunteers and staff.
• Experience of reporting to a board and/or committee.
• Ability to demonstrate a good understanding of the impact of race, culture and religion on families and children.
• Good understanding of safeguarding procedures and processes.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
• An understanding of parental and carer conflict following family breakdown.
• Ability to support families with signposting to appropriate agencies.
• Ability to work directly with traumatised children in a sensitive and supportive manner.
• Excellent recording and report-writing skills.
• Ability to lead and develop a team through regular support.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• A commitment to the welfare of the child as a priority in the work and decision-making.
• Ability to work alone and as part of a team.
• Ability to work flexibly in accordance to the needs of the role.

The qualifications needed to work at a centre will vary from centre to centre, therefore, it is a good idea to speak to your local service and get some guidance from them.

However:

In terms of supported contact centres – no qualifications are needed. The people running the service will provide all the training you need.

To work as a contact supervisor in a supervised centre, you will ideally have an NVQ L3 in Health and Social Care (or equivalent).

To work as a co-ordinator or manager of a supervised centre, you will ideally be a social worker, or similar professional.

As a volunteer you would need to be cheerful (but not artificial), assertive (but not dominant) and be reassuring to family members using the centre. You should be able to understand the various issues that affect separating families and have the skills to build relationships with them whilst remaining impartial. You need to be able to deal with difficult situations particularly involving parents and children under stress. You need to be prepared to work as part of team where people exchange information and support one another. You need to be aware of and prepared to follow any policies or guidelines the child contact centre has in relation to safeguarding, confidentiality, equal opportunities etc. And finally, you should be prepared to attend and participate in any training events either at the centre or via home learning.

Supported Co-ordinator training

All CCC Co-ordinators (including deputies) running supported child contact centres must attend the NACCC Co-ordinator training once every three years. It will equip them in their role to run their centre safely. Part of the Co-ordinator training is designed to enable them to disseminate the training of the modules to their staff and volunteers

Volunteers or staff members working at a supported child contact centres should be given access to appropriate training including an annual safeguarding refresher to ensure that you are confident about what you should do if you have a safeguarding concern regarding a child using your centre.

The training you will be provided with will provided with will vary from centre to centre and often include a combination of face to face, workbooks and e-learning. NACCC has 10 modules which your centre will ensure are covered within the learning that you undertake in your role with a supported centre.

Additional online training links can be found in our A-Z LINK

Supervised co-ordinator training

All CCC co-ordinators (including deputies/seniors) running supervised child contact centres must attend the NACCC co-ordinator training once every three years. It will equip them in their role to run their centre safely.

Volunteers or staff members working at a supervised child contact centres should be given access to appropriate training including induction and ongoing annual safeguarding training to ensure that you are confident about what you should do if you have a safeguarding or child protection concern regarding a child using your centre

Your centre should support you in completing a robust induction before starting your role which will help you to understand the basics of the service and the way that it is delivered. Furthermore, this induction process often included an element of shadowing or mentoring to allow you to learn from more experienced people at the centre. 

Your centre should also have a rolling training programme which will cover a wide variety of things including safeguarding children (annual), domestic abuse, health and safety, conflict management and working with children.

You should be provided with additional approved training to take account of changes in legislation, working practices and the needs of families.

For more information about the training requirements at a supported or supervised child contact centre, please refer to the appropriate standards or contact us and we will endeavour to support.

As a child contact centre volunteer you would help prepare the centre in advance of people arriving, welcome and register family members coming to the centre, explain the use of the facilities and toys. You may also be asked to help serve refreshments.

Where appropriate your role may involve talking to, listening to and helping alleviate any anxieties family members may have. You may also help by supporting family members in playing with their children and keeping a watchful eye throughout the contact rooms. At the end of the session you would probably help with tidying up the toys and equipment.

This is likely to be different at each centre.

Some centres offer only voluntary work. In this scenario you will either not be paid at all, or you might get some expenses reimbursed.

Other centres offer paid work, and in this case you will have a contract with them specifying how much you will be paid and how often.