‘It's a bonus, without it I wouldn't even have a visit’: Parents' views of supervised contact centres in New Zealand

Abstract

Supervised contact centres, where a child may maintain contact with a parent (mother or father) in a safe and supervised environment, have been available in New Zealand since the early 1990s. This article explores the services provided by such centres, previous research on the topic and describes the experiences of 12 parents participating in supervised contact arrangements at centres. Parents' overall experiences of supervised contact centres are positive, with strengths being that the contact centre staff are viewed as supportive and understanding, and that the service fulfils an important role in improving relationships between child and parent. Limitations include the lack of resources, (in)flexibility regarding rules and the lack of feedback beyond the contact session. Supervised contact centres provide a means by which a group of parents are enabled to maintain and/or develop relationships with their children (and vice versa) that would not otherwise happen.