Overview

This bill mandates accreditation of all child contact centers in England by the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC), ensuring consistent standards and safety for children during visits with non-resident parents or other individuals.

Description

This bill requires all organizations offering facilities or services for child contact in England to obtain and maintain accreditation from the NACCC. Accreditation will be granted for either supported or supervised contact, depending on the center's capabilities. The NACCC will establish and periodically amend standards for accreditation. The bill also introduces a legal duty for local authorities to ensure that any facilities they use for child contact are accredited and compels courts to specify that contact in child contact centres must only be in NACCC-accredited facilities when making activity directions. "Child contact" is defined as contact with any person with whom the child does not live, while "child contact centre" refers to any organisation providing facilities or services supporting or supervising such contact.

Government Spending

The bill does not directly specify any increases or decreases in government spending. The implementation costs for local authorities to ensure accreditation of their facilities and the potential for increased court administration costs related to specifying accredited centers are not detailed in the provided bill text.

Groups Affected

• Child Contact Centres: Required to obtain and maintain NACCC accreditation, potentially incurring costs associated with meeting accreditation standards.
• Local Authorities: Legally obligated to ensure that any facilities they use for child contact are accredited, requiring oversight and potential funding for compliance.
• Courts: Must specify NACCC-accredited centres in activity directions regarding child contact.
• Children: Intended beneficiaries, with the aim of increased safety and consistency in child contact arrangements.
• Parents and Families: May experience changes in the availability and type of child contact centers accessible to them.

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