(Con) [V]:...The statistics are sadly all too familiar. One
in five children and young people are exposed to domestic abuse,
while the UK has one of the highest rates of family breakdown in
the western world, with just 68% of children living with both
parents. These issues are both immensely damaging to the health and
welfare of children, with associated economic costs. I warmly
welcome the arrangements in place during this lockdown for contact,
and I pay tribute to the work of many providers, including
Barnardo’s, the Salvation Army Core Assets, the YMCA and
Family Action...
...In contrast to local authority situations in discharging their
statutory duties under Section 34 of the Children Act 1989, and
private law cases governed by the judicial protocol in place for
nearly two decades, there is no requirement for oversight of or
specific provisions for child contact centres and services for
self-referred cases outside the court system. This raises concerns
around safeguarding, the quality and consistency of standards and
training, and the handling of domestic abuse and drug and alcohol
cases. We have seen on the APPG on child contact centres that there
is a collective view among the major parties, including Barnardo’s,
the Salvation Army Cafcass and Family Action, to support a
statutory framework for the accreditation of child contact centres.
As the former President of the Family Division, Sir James Munby,
has said, strengthening of the regulatory framework and contact
system could ensure that
“every child can experience the same high level of care and
safeguarding where circumstances have necessitated their
involvement with the family justice system and Child Contact
Centres or Services.”
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