Venue details
Opening hours
Days & Times: By appointment only - peripatetic service
Services available here
Supervised contact
Supervised contact assessment
Indirect
Escorted contact
Supervised - Community Based
Accepts self referrals
Enhanced Accredited
Contact
Website: www.connectnorthyorkshire.co.uk
Telephone: 07743 001622
Email: helenevans.connect@gmail.com
Description
Connect offers supervised child contact services to families across North Yorkshire, close to the child's home, using community venues such as parks, playgrounds, play centres, restaurants, bowling alleys, seaside amusements, crazy golf, etc. Helen Evans at Connect can help parents with child contact arrangements, parenting plans and improving co-parenting communication.
Local services
Connect offers information and support to separated parents on improving communication, co-parenting, parenting plans and child contact arrangements.
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: 15/10/2021
Summary:
Helen Evans is the sole proprietor of Connect (North Yorkshire), which was set up in 2018 with support from Cafcass, in response to the closing of North Yorkshire’s only provider of supervised contact. Connect is a peripatetic service, operating mainly across North Yorkshire, but also has a smaller number of cases outside this geographical area.
Connect receives referrals from solicitors, courts, local authorities, Cafcass and self-referrals. A sessional worker is employed on occasions when two workers are required. Supervised and virtual contact are offered. Contact sessions happen in fun and age-appropriate venues, close to the child’s home, such as cafes, bowling alleys, restaurants, parks, arcades, and soft play centres. A written report of the session is provided to each parent to help resolve their conflict. Sessions last up to an hour and a half, and most families have between one and six sessions.
The Director of the service, Helen Evans, is the main family worker and has many years of experience in this area. She has a sessional worker who supports and accompanies her on cases requiring two people. Helen has recently identified a senior social work manager who will give her supervision and support case discussions and is in the process of identifying a further Sessional Worker, particularly to support out of area referrals. Helen is clear about lines of accountability and has good levels of contact with local safeguarding and child protection teams.
There is an excellent website which outlines services available and their costs. Electronic leaflets are available from the website, but relevant ones are also sent at relevant times. For example, when a referral is made a standard email is sent to parents explaining what the service can offer and attaches a child contact leaflet and 10 tips re what children need when parents separate (taken from SPIP). As a peripatetic service all work except contact itself is done electronically (some exceptions) and it is important that a wide range of information is available.
As contact is community based it is not possible to meet children in a centre beforehand. With older children they are offered an on-line meeting via Zoom or similar. For smaller children arrangements are made for Helen to meet with them and explain what will happen and her role prior to any contact taking place. Helen also advises children and parents about resources on the NACCC website, which meet a wide range of needs.
The Assessor felt this was an excellent example of a peripatetic service which others may wish to copy. A wide range of venues have been identified in each local area so that different children’s needs and interests can be catered for. Policies are regularly reviewed. Training is up to date. Templates are available for all areas of business and examples seen showed clear links between policy and planning. Recordings are of a high standard. This service has met the required standards for NACCC enhanced accreditation.
Photos from this centre
