Over the past 18 months, staff and volunteers from NACCC-accredited East Northants Child Contact Services CIC have welcomed a host of VIP visitors, showcasing the vital support they provide to children and families in the Rushden area of East Northamptonshire.
Last summer, the team celebrated their 10th anniversary at their AGM, held at Rushden Mission Church. Staff were joined by several special guests, including a local magistrate, the Deputy Mayor, and Gen Kitchen MP for Wellingborough (pictured third from right).
The centre was established in 2014 by Jeanette Maddams, Pam Housman, and Sandra Wilson following government cutbacks that led to the closure of the Family Centre where they worked. Determined to ensure local families could continue receiving support, the team set up East Northants Child Contact Services in new premises within the Rushden area just a month later, enabling families to maintain vital contact with their children.
Operating from Rushden Mission Church, the centre provides a safe, supportive environment where children and young people can reconnect with non-resident parents or family members following separation. The team delivers NACCC-accredited contact services, including supervised one-to-one contact sessions (held on the first and third Saturdays of each month, with additional weekday sessions available by appointment) and supported family time sessions twice monthly on Saturdays.
The centre offers a welcoming, child-friendly environment with a large hall for supported families and a smaller, more private room for supervised visits. Around the centre, leaflets and information boards provide a wealth of useful guidance and signposting to support children and families who use the service. The experienced team are known for being supportive, friendly, and professional, and they play an active role in the wider community – supporting local food banks and running a Christmas gift programme for families in need.
East Northants Director and Company Secretary, Jeanette Maddams, said:
Over the years we have gone from strength to strength, offering a range of services including supported contact, supervised contact with one-to-one observations and written reports, contact plans, and more recently supporting ICFA * work in partnership with Cafcass. We are thrilled that we are still going strong and remain the only centre offering these services in Northamptonshire.
Following their anniversary celebrations and AGM, the team were also delighted to welcome Amy Crawfurd (pictured on the far right), who served as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire (2024–2025), accompanied by Mrs Alison Symmers JP, Chair of the Family Panel.
Former High Sheriff Amy Crawfurd said:
I had the great pleasure of meeting the East Northants Child Contact Service team and hearing how they support children coming through the Family Courts or via Social Services by providing a safe, supported or supervised space to continue contact with an estranged parent. They are a wonderful Community Interest Company (CIC) whose team go above and beyond to help children – an unsung service providing a vital link for children and their parents.
VIP centre visits are a fantastic way to help local community leaders understand more about NACCC-accredited contact services and to raise awareness of the vital work contact centres deliver to support children, young people, and families following separation.
Reflecting on the impact of the visits, Jeanette added:
MP Gen Kitchen was very supportive and spent a long time chatting to us all. She now keeps in touch with regular emails and has offered us help with anything – for example, funding submissions if needed. She’s great! We also had a very useful meeting with the High Sheriff and the Chair of the Family Panel. Our informal chat gave staff the opportunity to ask lots of questions, and we can still contact them for support if we need to.
Congratulations to the East Northants team on your outstanding dedication and commitment to supporting children, young people, and families over the past ten years. We’re delighted that you’ve been able to showcase the fantastic work you do – your efforts continue to make a real difference to the lives of the children and families you support.
* ICFA (Improving Child and Family Arrangements) is a service delivered by Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. It helps separated families implement safe and sustainable child arrangements, supporting parents to reduce conflict and focus on their child’s needs. The work is short-term and practical, aiming to improve communication and promote positive co-parenting after court proceedings.