Venue details
Address (not for correspondence):
21 The Courtyard,
Pontypool, Wales, NP4 6LR
Opening hours
Days & Times: Mon to Fri 9am to 5.30pm. Sat 9am to 4pm.
Centre charges
Details available on request
Services available here
Supported contact
Supervised contact
Handover
Supervised contact assessment
Escorted contact
Life story identity contact
Accepts self referrals
Enhanced Accredited
Virtual Contact (Supervised)
This centre is accredited to provide supervised contact
Accreditation is a way of checking that your contact centre is safe and meets our standards.
How is a centre checked?
An assessorSomeone working on our behalf who has experience and an interest in child contact services and must assess if a service meets our standards. looks round the centre’s rooms, toys, equipment, and any outside play areas to make sure that they are safe and good for you to use. They talk with the people at the centre to make sure that they are trained and helped to do their job as well as possible. They then check the informationThe assessor checks through the centre’s accreditation portfolio which includes policies, procedures, risk assessments, reports (if the service offers supervised contact) and information for families. on what happens at the centre and how it keeps you safe. If your family time happens in the community The service might use local community venues to deliver their service or in some cases, residential properties including family members’ homes, where this is safe and appropriate., then the assessor will check that this is going to be safe for you.
When the assessor is happy that a centre meets our standards then they are awarded their accreditation and you can find them on this website. Accreditation happens every three years with extra checks if needed.
Accreditation Summary
Date: 10/10/2022
Summary:
Child Focused Children Services Ltd (CFCS) has been in operation and running from its current premises for 10 years.
The Contact Centre is a short walk away from the High Street and there are good local transport links (both bus and rail). Torfaen Local Authority offers free parking throughout the area, which is an advantage for visitors to the Centre, and there are 2 multi-story carparks within walking distance.
The Centre is also located close to a local park, the leisure centre, and a soft play centre, all easily accessible for families during contact and is well located to support both local families, as well as those travelling from further afield.
Since the last Re-accreditation, usage of the service has increased notably, with extremely high levels of Local Authority and Private referrals (both Solicitor and self-referrals). Due to its location, and a lack of other Supervised facilities in the surrounding areas, many different Local Authorities make referrals for Contact, not just Torfaen (the Local Authority within which it falls). In a similar way, the referrals received from Cafcass Cymru have increased significantly in recent years.
The premises used for Contact sessions is accessed through an archway, in a private Courtyard. Once inside, it is an excellent, family-friendly space. Set on the top floor of a building, with front and rear access, and a private carpark, it is very well set up for these sessions to take place.
The building has CCTV, which covers the back entrance and carpark to the rear. This is the entrance used by the children and the front entrance is used by visiting parents. It has a buzzer entry system installed, which is an advantage when monitoring who is requiring access to the premises.
The information provided for children who may be using the Service is of a brilliant quality. The leaflet produced is bright and colourful, showing the Contact Rooms inside. It is appropriate and child-friendly, yet also comprehensive enough to give a good insight into the building and what happens at the Contact Centre.
The rooms themselves are brightly decorated and inviting for families. Recently painted and with new carpets throughout, they have a homely feel, with a large range of toys, games, and equipment available in each room to suit children of all ages. Although most of the Contact space is upstairs, there is a large room downstairs that would be suitable for any parent or child with accessibility difficulties.
It is evident that the CFCS is well established and that is why the Service is extremely busy providing Contact and supporting many families. The Directors along with the other members of staff appear to operate as a cohesive Team, recognising their individual strengths and utilising them in dedicated roles. They are clearly experienced, and this is shown through an in depth understanding and knowledge of both legislation, and best practice.
They are organised and consistent across the board and their working practice appears to be very efficient, from their Policies and paperwork through to the ‘day to day’ running of the Contact Centre. CFCS have met the criteria of NACCCs Enhanced re-accreditation and the assessor would like to thank the staff for a warm welcome on the day of her visit.
Photos from this centre
