Children's Contact Services

Overview

The Australian Government is inviting applications, through an open competitive process, to apply for funding to deliver Children’s Contact Services (CCS) under the Family Relationship Services Program (FRSP), administered by the Attorney-General’s Department The Australian Government has announced a total of up to $40,700,000 GST exclusive over 4 years from 2022–23 to 2025–26 for the CCS grant opportunity. CCSs occupy a unique and important position within Australia’s family law system, with their core business focusing on the needs of children whose parents are separating or separated and who cannot manage contact arrangements. CCSs enable children of separated parents to have safe contact with the parent they do not live with, in circumstances where parents are unable to manage their own contact arrangements. Where separated parents are not able to meet without conflict, CCSs provide a safe, neutral venue for the transfer of children between separated parents. Where there is a perceived or actual risk to the child, they also provide supervised contact between a child and the parent or other persons that are significant to the child whom they do not live with, where it is assessed by the service as safe to do so. The objectives of the grant opportunity are to deliver a CCS that: provides a trauma informed, child-centred model of intervention, that assists children of separated parents establish and maintain a relationship with their other parent and family members  helps achieve sustained and workable long-term parenting and contact arrangements.