Family Contact Centre

FSW runs the Eastbourne Family Contact Centre in partnership with the Mothers’ Union Diocese of Chichester. The Centre is accredited to the National Association of Child Contact Centres and provides a safe and welcoming space for non-resident parents to meet with their children. One of FSW’s family support practitioners co-ordinates the Centre’s work, supported by a number of volunteers.

 It is situated at The Gateway Centre, 66-70 Lottbridge Drive, Eastbourne and provides a warm and relaxed atmosphere where estranged parents can spend time with their children playing games or simply enjoying  each other’s company.  We provide books and toys for children of all ages as well as refreshments. The video here explains in child-friendly terms what happens at a contact centre and may be useful to show children in preparation for a visit.

Sessions are held on the first and third Saturdays of each month between 10am and 1pm.

From 1 July 2022 there will be an administration charge for the contact centre. The initial charge that relates to the administration and first 3 sessions is £50. This fee includes the referral, pre-visit to the centre, assessment and a review, in addition to 3 1-hour sessions at the centre. After the first 3 sessions there is a charge of £5 per session. We recognise that for some of the families using the centre these charges may be a challenge to their budget so please do contact the Centre Coordinator if you need support with the fees.

New parents wishing to use the facilities must make an online application.  Please download and complete the referral form which can be found here. This should then be returned by email to efcc@familysupportwork.org.uk or by post to Garton House, 22 Stanford Avenue, Brighton BN1 6AA.