Contact rights and responsibilities

Making arrangements

As the child’s guardian, you are primarily responsible for arranging and managing their contact with family, which we call ‘family time’.

Together with family or friends, you are jointly responsible for making sure family time is positive and in the child's best interests. You can learn more about good quality family time in our guide to managing contact with family.

Typically, the Family Court will state who should have family-time and how often it should happen. That decision is part of the process you go through when the Special Guardianship Order is awarded.

You may want to contact us if:

• the Family Court did not set family time (contact) arrangements

• you are unsure about the arrangements

• there is disagreement about how to interpret arrangements

Please contact our support team who can give you help and guidance. 

Planning family time

You must work with family members to arrange suitable plans for family-time visits. You are primarily responsible for taking the child to the agreed venue on time.

Planning a visit involves agreeing the:

• date and time

• venue

• activities

• ground rules 

We recommend guardians share and agree these details in writing, which can include via text message. email or online messaging. It helps set expectations and reduce the potential for confusion or disagreement. It may also help if there are any challenges in the future.

We also advise guardians to share any useful information with family members that may affect the session. For example, if the child has had a recent positive experience or event they can talk to them about, or if they have been upset about a topic they may want to avoid.

Setting and holding boundaries

One of your most important responsibilities is the safety and wellbeing of the child you care for. You should set and agree on clear boundaries with family members for how any family time is to take place. 

You may want to choose a certain venue and type of activity. You might also need to share topics that should not be talked about and what you consider unacceptable behaviour. 

You should ideally be there for family-time sessions, so you can help it be a positive experience where possible. You always have the right to stay in the session if you feel it is in the child's best interest.

It's important you feel confident in your right to stop a family time session if you feel the child is not safe or does not feel safe. It may feel uncomfortable to stop a session from taking place, but your main responsibility is the child's wellbeing.

If you feel family-time sessions are having a negative impact on the child, please contact our team for support.

Example may include:

• if they say they do not want to go

• if they are often upset after sessions

• if you feel family’s behaviour is detrimental to their wellbeing

• if sessions don’t take place as planned

We can speak to you about the situation and help you decided what to do next.

Changing over time

Arrangements for family time can and should adapt over time, as the child grows and their needs change. You and the family should look for different activities and increasingly listen to what the child wants if they are old enough and able to express themselves. 

How often sessions take place can also change. Our team can answer questions about how to make changes to family time.

Asking for support

Many guardians find family time one of the most stressful and emotional parts of the role. They are uncertain about how it works, the impact it may have on the child, and the relationships involved. 

You can ask for a free family-time (contact) review at any time to help address any challenges you are facing. You can read more about the process and how to ask for a review in our guide to how a family-time (contact) review works. 

We also run family-time (contact) workshops to share more information and ideas that will make family time the most positive experience possible for everyone involved.