Belper Community Cottage

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CHILD  CONTACT  CENTRE

The Community Cottage Operates a Child Contact Centre on alternate Saturdays, staffed entirely by volunteers. The Centre serves as a neutral contact point and meeting place for parents and children in separated family situations.

To gain access to this service, the family applies via a Solicitor, Welfare Officer or Social Worker who will initiate the arrangement with the most convenient Contact Centre.  Presently there are more than 250 Contact Centres throughout England and Wales providing such meeting places.

The Centre in this area are located in Derby, Belper and Ilkeston.  

When the Centre receives an application to use its facilities, a standard form is completed by the Solicitor/referral source.  This form is to provide the Centre with sufficient background information to enable a welcoming and friendly atmosphere to be created.  The information supplied also helps to avoid exacerbating stressful situations between the parties concerned.  

After certification in October 1997, Belper Contact Centre opened its doors and has proved to be ideal for this service because of its homely nature, friendliness and caring nature of the volunteers.

The service has proved to be very successful for many of the families that have used it.  

The friendly atmosphere at the Community Cottage lends itself to this purpose with its comfortable facilities, provision of food and drinks, the use of toys, books and games supported by the volunteers.  The aim of the staff is to make the children and their visiting relatives feel confident and at ease, and to provide a private space where interaction can take place in a non-institutional setting.

VOLUNTEERING

The Belper Community Cottage is not run by faceless officials who don`t have time to listen, they are all just ordinary people willing to help and offer support when and where its needed.  

The Community Project is supported by many of the local churches but it is not a religious based organisation as people of all creeds, races and religions are welcome.

The Community Cottage cannot operate without its volunteers who give their time and talents willingly, but these volunteers sometime require a break or holiday or are away due to illness.  At such times it becomes more difficult to stay open when we have staff shortages.  

Whatever your age, if you feel that you could help by becoming a volunteer, please call in for a tea and a chat.