Central Bedfordshire Council news and press releases

Barnardo's to provide our supervised contact service

Tuesday, 16 April 2019

We've awarded children's charity Barnardo's with a new contract, aimed at ensuring that children looked after by us can continue to have safe contact with their birth families.

The supervised contact service contract will run until March 2024, with a potential two-year extension, and is designed to enable:

  • the needs of children and families to be understood and acted upon
  • contact to be a safe, happy and positive experience for children
  • well-informed decision-making by social workers and the courts

Sue Harrison, our Director of Children's Services, said: "We have looked at all of our support services for children and young people with the aim of how we can do more to help residents.

"Our supervised contact service will measure success by the outcomes, rather than by measuring the number people that have accessed the service, to ensure the service is making a difference to people's lives. Barnardo's are uniquely positioned to deliver this is line with our priorities to protect the most vulnerable, improve wellbeing and help children and young people to live happy, healthy lifestyles."

Tina Douglas, Assistant Director of Children's Services at Barnardo's said: "We are really looking forward to working with Central Bedfordshire Council to provide a service which will put the rights of children and young people at the heart. Together we will focus on the needs, wishes and feelings of children and young people and ensure their experience with our service will be a happy and positive one."