Online Children's Contact Service

Wait times for the Children's Contact Service are dependent on the mutual availability of the service and both parents and the time taken to complete the intake and assessment process with each parent/carer. We recommend you call or message us to find out our available times to start the intake process with you. 

The Children's Contact Service has strict requirements relating to the confidentiality of records. Throughout service, notes are kept about each family's interactions with the service including observations made by staff during sessions. These notes can only be released under limited circumstances. The service is obliged to release records where there is a legal obligation to provide the information through a court ordered subpoena.

You can read more about subpoenas and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia here. 

If your family is involved in family law proceedings whilst using the service, the court may appoint an Independent Children's Lawyer to independently represent the best interests of the child. If there is an ICL appointed in your family's matter, the Children's Contact Service Coordinator may communicate with the ICL about how visits or changeovers are going. We only provide relevant and factual information based on our observation reports and case notes from the visits or change-overs.

You can read more information about the ICL's role in family law proceedings here. 

The court order will usually specify that a child may have contact with their parent or significant adult who they are not currently living with using supervised service. In some cases, the court orders will request you contact Interrelate within a certain amount of time of receiving the orders. When you contact us, and have provided a copy of the court orders, an intake and assessment will be scheduled with a Children’s Contact staff member. Both parents will need to have an intake separately. Once both parents/ family members have had their intake, and your situation has been assessed and deemed appropriate, next steps will be taken to arrange supervised contact.

Supervised contact, are when a child spends time with a parent, carer, or family member who they do not live with under the supervision of trained children’s Contact Workers. Children's Contact Workers are present to ensure a conflict free and safe handover of the child from one parent to the other. They monitor and offer support during the contact to facilitate a positive and safe environment for the child and the parent, enabling them to develop their relationship. As part of the supervision, the Contact Workers will observe and take notes of what occured during the session. All Contact staff remain neutral with the goal to support families, wherever possible towards self managing their own arrangements, and supporting the best interests of the child.

Supervised contact can go anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours and are determined by the needs of the child, any court orders or parenting plans and availability. Online contact are usually scheduled for a set day and time for families whether weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Service staff will work with you to develop a schedule of sessions that works for the child, both parents and the availability of the service. The service aims to meet family's needs in terms of contact times and provides flexible options to work with family's schedules.

The cost of online supervised contact is based on an hourly rate. The cost is $132 per hour, Monday - Saturday. Typically the cost is split evenly between both parents/carers unless specified in any court orders or parenting plans. If you have any concerns about the cost of the service please discuss this with the service Coordinator.

We want you and your family to have the best chance to strengthen your relationships and spend time together. How often contact takes place will depend on your unique situation and needs for the service, as well as our availability. The service aims to work with you to develop a schedule that meets the needs of both parents, the child, any court orders or parenting plans and the capacity of the service to meet the frequency requested. The Children's Contact Service is independent of the Family Law Court and is not obligated to fulfil any court orders, however the service works to accommodate each family's needs.