Child contact in the Highlands and Moray: your local options

Families across the Highlands and Moray have two broad options when contact needs oversight or a neutral setting. Child contact centres operate in Inverness and Wick, and community based supervised contact travels to every other part of the region. This guide explains both honestly, area by area, so parents, solicitors and social workers can see what exists wherever a family lives.

The child contact centres

Relationships Scotland Family Mediation Highland runs child contact centres in Inverness and in Wick. The centres provide supported contact in a safe, neutral, child centred setting, along with supported handovers and video contact, generally free of charge. Supervised contact and written reports are available at a cost. Referrals come from parents themselves, solicitors, social work and the courts. They can be reached on 01463 712 100.

For families within reach of Inverness or Wick who need a centre setting, they are a well established option, and this guide recommends them without hesitation.

The Scottish Parliament has legislated for national regulation of child contact services through the Children (Scotland) Act 2020, with standards for premises and training being introduced in stages, so centre based provision in Scotland is becoming more formalised over time.

Community based supervised contact

The second option travels. Bringing Families Together provides supervised contact, supported contact, supervised handovers and transport across the whole of the Highlands and Moray, with sessions arranged in a family's own area: a familiar hall, a library room, a quiet café, a park, or another setting that suits the child.

This matters here more than almost anywhere in Britain, because the Highlands cover more ground than Wales. For a family in Fort William, the drive to the nearest contact centre is the best part of two hours each way. From Portree it is longer. Court ordered contact under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 can go ahead wherever the order's conditions are met, and distance should never be the reason a child loses a relationship.

Area by area

Inverness, Nairn and the Inner Moray Firth. The Inverness contact centre serves this area, and community based supervision runs alongside it for families who need flexible times, a different setting, or a dedicated supervisor with written records.

Badenoch and Strathspey. Aviemore, Grantown, Kingussie and the strath are within community provision, with sessions arranged locally.

Lochaber. Fort William and the surrounding communities have no centre. Community based supervision covers the whole district, including Mallaig and the small isles ferry links where needed.

Skye and Lochalsh. Sessions are arranged on Skye and around Kyle, so island families need no mainland journey.

Wester Ross. Ullapool, Gairloch and the coast are covered through travelling provision.

Easter Ross and the Black Isle. Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon, Tain and the Black Isle villages are all within easy reach of community sessions.

Sutherland. From Dornoch and Golspie to Lairg, Tongue and Kinlochbervie, supervision travels to the family.

Caithness. The Wick contact centre serves Caithness, with community provision alongside for families needing supervised sessions, flexible hours or transport.

Moray. Elgin, Forres, Buckie, Keith and the whole of Moray have no contact centre, and community based supervision covers every part of it.

Travel, distance and transport

Where parents live far apart, the journey itself often becomes the obstacle. Two answers help. Sessions can be placed at a point that shares the travelling fairly, and children can be transported to and from contact by a trusted, consistent adult, so neither parent needs to face the other. Transport is quoted individually on distance.

How to arrange contact, whoever you are

Parents can contact either service directly. No referral from anyone else is needed, and speaking to a family solicitor is wise where a court order exists or is likely.

Solicitors and mediators can refer by phone or email with the outline of the arrangement, and should name the level of oversight needed, supervised or supported, since the two produce different records. Our guide to the difference between supervised and supported contact covers why the wording matters.

Social work teams across Highland and Moray can arrange community based sessions anywhere in the region, including where a child's plan or a children's hearing has set contact conditions.