The services we provide:
Supervised Contact
Contacts take place at one of our family-friendly, well-resourced and secure venues. Children spend time with parents and other valued people in a supervised setting. A worker is with the family for the entire visit. The service also provides supervised video contacts.
Supported Contact
Visits take place at one of our family-friendly venues. Children spend time with parents and other valued people in a supported setting. A worker is available to provide support to the family as required.
Changeovers
Parents or carers drop off and collect their children at one of our venues. Each parent has a different arrival and departure time, as well as separate entry points to minimise the potential for conflict.
Supported Changeover
Parents or carers drop off and collect their children at one of our venues. The changeover occurs inside our building with a worker present to provide support as required.
The Children's Contact Service is funded by the Commonwealth Government Department of Social Service (DSS). CatholicCare is a full member of the Australian Children's Contact Service Association. Suitability for each service is assessed by staff with consideration of any court orders as well as each child's individual needs. You can find information about our fees below.
1. To register for the service or make an enquiry, contact our Intake team on (02) 4254 9395. Each parent is required to register separately.
2. Once both parties lodge their applications, we schedule the first available intake assessment appointment. Intake assessments help the service develop an understanding of the families' needs. These are conducted separately for each parent or carer.
3. Once each party has completed an intake assessment, the family can be provided a service or placed on our waiting list in the case of limited service vacancies.
It is not the responsibility of the Children's Contact Service to follow up on any non-compliance with the intake process or court orders.
Access to the program is determined individually for each family, with consideration of any risk and safety issues, court orders, scheduling needs and the best interests of each child. We endeavour to work with families to ensure the program can successfully accommodate their needs wherever possible.
| Government Funded Service | |||
| Contribution rates (per parent/client) | |||
| Intake assessment | Concession* | Non-concession | Cancellation (with proof) |
| Intake assessment | $60 | $90 | $20 |
| Supervised and supported contact |
$40 | $50 | $20 |
| Video call contact | $20 | $25 | $10 |
| Changeover | $20 | $25 | $10 |
| Change-back | $20 | $25 | $10 |
| *A current Concession or Healthcare Card is required to be eligible for the concession rate. A copy of our Client Fees & Contributions Policy can be provided upon request. Where clients are eligible for a government funded service, we will not deny access due to financial distress. | |||
| Self-Funded Service | |||
| Fee rates (Inc GST) | |||
| Weekdays* | Saturday* (Campbelltown only) | Summary** | |
| Intake assessment | $200 per parent | $250 | Not applicable |
| 2 hour Supervised or supported contact* | $200 | $250 | $60 |
| *Minimum Two hour service. **The issuing of summaries will be considered by the service on an individual basis |
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Waiting list
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CAMPBELLTOWN |
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|
Intake assessment |
Approximately 4 week wait |
|
Supervised contact |
Approximately 6 weeks after completion of all client intakes depending on vacancies |
|
Changeover and supported changeover |
Current vacancies Current vacancies |
|
Video contact |
|
|
Self-funded services |
Current vacancies |
|
NOWRA |
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|
Intake assessment |
Approximately 4 week wait |
|
Supervised contact |
Approximately 8 weeks after completion of all client intakes depending on vacancies |
|
Video contact Changeover and supported changeover |
Current vacancies Current vacancies |
|
Self-funded |
Please contact service |
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WOLLONGONG |
|
|
Intake assessment |
Approximately 4 week wait |
|
Supervised contact |
Current vacancies |
|
Video contact Changeover and supported changeover |
Current vacancies Current vacancies |
|
Self-funded |
Current vacancies |