Venue details
Address (not for correspondence):
Heath Farm Family Centre, 41 Stone Street,
Faversham, Kent, ME13 8PH
Opening hours
Days & Times: Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm Weekends 9am to 6pm
Centre charges
Details available on request
Services available here
Supported contact
Supervised contact
Escorted contact
Accepts self referrals
Enhanced Accredited
Virtual Contact (Supported)
Virtual Contact (Supervised)
Contact
Website: www.heathfarmfostering.com
Alternative: 07901 248376
Email: contactroom@heathfarm.org
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: 06/01/2022
Summary:
Heath Farm Family Centre (run by Heath Farm Fostering) is in Faversham, Kent. Heath Farm is a well-established fostering agency with ample experience in providing supported and supervised contact on behalf of the local authority. The organisation has obtained accreditation in order to work alongside Cafcass, however it is likely that they will branch into private law services soon. Handovers are provided; however, the majority of handovers are as a result of stepping services down and not direct referrals for this service. The service is in an ideal location with bus routes and train stops close by.
The centre is in a good state of repair and looks to be recently refurbished. The space is safe and very child friendly, with two contact rooms situated on the ground floor, bathroom facilities and access to a secluded garden. The centre has a ramp into the building’s reception area and ramps out to the garden area and so is accessible to those with mobility needs. The centre has in place staggered arrivals and the front door is locked to the outside with entry via an intercom allowing staff to check who has arrived before allowing entrance.
Heath Farm have a professional looking website which is informative and easy to use and a leaflet which highlights their location, contact details and services provided. The leaflet is to the point and provide appropriate information to the readers.
Heath Farm have a pre-visit process which identifies how the children will be getting to and from the centre and what the schedule for contact will be. Contact rules are discussed outlining behaviour, welfare, and expectations to work together to progress contact and also refer to the use of phones, taking photos and gifts. Two members of staff are allocated to families so that families experience continuity of workers and children are involved in the pre-visit, review, and evaluation processes. Reviews are carried out at four-monthly intervals and are undertaken with all involved along with evaluation about the service to support the reviews including different formats for different age groups of children.
Heath Farm evidenced an escorting children and transport policy. The document meets NACCC standards and clearly outlines processes in place in relation to legal transporting and lone working.
Processes are robust and as a result the centre is organised and equipped to provide a good quality service. Staff providing this service are well trained and experienced in facilitating contact. The centre meets the criteria for enhanced (supervised) accreditation.
Photos from this centre
