What to do if your child is refusing or scared to go to a contact centre

If for whatever reason you need to ensure your child is available for contact at a contact centre, what do you do to ensure that it is a happy event, and the child feels safe and supported. Preparation is key to it all going well. Your child/ren may have mixed feelings and a sense of loyalty to you, particularly if they have witnessed domestic abuse, or a bitter end to your relationship.

Depending on the child’s age, they may not have the mental capacity to be able to cope with these mixed emotions and what they mean. They may feel a sense of sadness, grief, anger, happy. The most important thing for the resident parent to do, is to allow your child to be happy to see their other parent, don’t make any derogatory comments if the child talks about the absent parent, advise them that you are happy for them to have a relationship, with them, and most importantly reassure them that they will be safe. Remind the child/ren of happy memories, this is often very hard for the resident parent, but remember who you are doing this for.