Human Services
Community Services
Family contact – information for 7–12 year olds
Decisions about contact are made based on:
Even when you are not living at home you can still
keep in touch with your family and other people
who are important to you.
• your safety and wellbeing
To keep in touch with people who are important to you,
you might:
Sometimes a decision may be different to what you want.
• have visits
What is a case meeting?
• have overnight or longer stays
Sometimes decisions about contact with your family and
friends are made at a meeting where the important people
in your life talk about what’s going to be happening for you.
This is called a case meeting.
• talk on the phone
• email each other
• exchange letters, gifts or photos.
• your age
• how long you will remain in care.
You might have visits at your caseworker’s office, your
carer’s home, a relative’s home, or at places like a park or
playground.
What is a contact order?
Who can I have contact with?
If you are not happy with how contact is happening your
caseworker can help you ask the Court for the changes that
you would like. This means going back to Court.
You might keep in touch with:
• your parents
There are times when decisions about contact are decided
by the Children’s Court. This is called a contact order.
• brothers and sisters who do not live with you
How are visits arranged?
• your grandparents
• close friends
Contact arrangements are usually made by your caseworker
or sometimes by your carer, but this may change as you get
older.
• if you are from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
background, people from your kin and community.
How can I tell people what I want?
• other relatives you’re close to
If your caseworker thinks it is not safe for you to have visits
with someone, another person may stay with you during
visits to supervise.
How are decisions made?
You can tell people what you want during your case
meetings, at Court or you could write down what you want.
You can say what you would like to happen, including:
• who you would like to visit and how often
Decisions are made about:
• when you would like to visit, such as on birthdays,
holidays or other special days
• who you can keep in touch with
• what you might like to do during visits
• how often you will see them
• how you feel about having visits
• if visits need to be supervised.
• anyone you would not like to visit, if you do not feel safe
or happy when you are with them
• other ways you would like to keep in touch with family
and friends.
September 2010
www.community.nsw.gov.au
Family contact – information for 7–12 year olds
Things to do during visits
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What are my rights?
show the things you did at school
You have the right to:
share photos and things you like such as toys
• have contact with your family and community
play a game together
• be helped and supported if you have to go to Court
work on your Life Story Book
• say what you are thinking and feeling
talk about things that are important to you
• take part in making important decisions affecting
your life
talk about how you are feeling
read stories together.
• be told why a decision is made if it is different to
what you wanted
• make a complaint.
What should I do if I am unhappy
about contact?
If you feel unhappy about contact, it sometimes helps
to talk with someone. You might like to talk to your
caseworker or carer about:
You can get a copy of the Charter of Rights
booklet for 7-12 year olds at
www.community.nsw.gov.au.
• what you feel unhappy about
• what you want to change or see happen.
If you have already spoken to your caseworker and
their manager about what’s happening and you are still
unhappy there are people who will listen to you and try
to help. This is called making a complaint. You can talk
to the:
• Community Services Complaints Unit on
1800 000 164 from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday,
or email: [email protected]
• NSW Ombudsman’s Office on 02 9286 1000 or
1800 451 524 (it’s a free call if you live outside Sydney).
You can also make a complaint using the Online
Complaint Form at www.ombo.nsw.gov.au
OHC-022a
• CREATE Foundation on 02 9267 0977 or
1800 655 105. CREATE helps to link children who
are in care, or have been in care, with each other.
Website: www.create.org.au.