Child contact services
From 1 April 2027, we will be responsible for registering and regulating child contact services in Scotland. This is an important step for us to help make sure children, young people and families experience safe and caring support in these services.
We follow five trauma-informed principles: Safety, trust, choice, collaboration and empowerment.
What is a child contact service?
A child contact service is a safe place where a child or young person can spend time with family members they do not live with. Staff and volunteers help make these visits calm, safe and supportive. Some services help children move safely between family members and some supervise visits, sharing information with courts. Some also help families stay in touch online when they cannot meet in person.
Child contact services run by local authority social work services will not be regulated in this way.
We would still welcome interest from these services and anyone who would like to follow this work as it develops.
How we are supporting this change
We have set up a team of experienced inspectors to support child contact services as they prepare for registration. The team will be in place until 30 September 2027. During this time, they will be the main point of contact. This means:
there is a dedicated team to support children, young people, families and services
our advice and guidance will be shaped around what people need
we will work closely with people and listen to their real experiences of child contact.
People’s views will help us:
focus on what matters most to children, young people and families
understand how child contact services work
use a fair and proportionate approach.
This will help everyone understand what the best possible care and support looks and feels like.
Meet the team
Laura has worked at the Care Inspectorate since 2016. She has worked as an inspector and in a team that writes guidance for the work we do. She is passionate about her work and believes in kind and caring leadership. She wants people to feel supported and do their best.
Donna has 28 years’ experience in regulation, including 24 years with the Care Inspectorate. Donna’s recent work has focused on registration, helping services offer high quality care.
Donna is passionate about making sure children’s needs are met and protecting children’s rights.
Janet has over 30 years’ experience in early learning and childcare. She is kind, supportive and believes that relationships are very important.
She is committed to helping services improve outcomes for children and families so children to feel safe and grow up happy.
Karina has worked as an inspector since 2021. She has experience in early learning and childcare and works in a trauma‑informed way. Karina puts children’s rights and voices first, helping services to offer them the support they need.
Sarah has worked at the Care Inspectorate since 2017. She has experience in different types of services, offering family‑centred care. Sarah is caring, committed and strongly supports children’s rights. She wants to help services be the best they can be.
Megan has 20 years’ experience of working with children and young people, and expertise in early years and children up to the age of 12. She is looking forward to bringing her extensive experience of working collaboratively with people to support children, families and professionals.
We want to hear from you
Share your experiences of child contact services
We want your views to help us shape a fair, supportive and compassionate approach. We would especially like to hear from you if:
you are a child or young person who has met with a parent/family member in a child contact service
you are a parent or family member who is using, or has used, a child contact service
you are a professional who supports children and families who use, or have used, child contact services
you have had other experiences with child contact services.
People’s views help us:
focus on what matters most to children, young people and families
understand how child contact services work
build an approach that upholds people’s rights.
By telling us about your experiences, you can shape:
what safe and compassionate support looks and feels like
how we support services to improve
a fair and supportive approach to regulation.
What you share will help shape how child contact services are supported and regulated in the future.
Join our stakeholder reference group
We are setting up a stakeholder reference group to help us develop practical, proportionate guidance that reflects the needs of children, young people, families and services.
We would like to hear from providers, support organisations, people who work with children and families, and anyone with relevant experience or insight to share.
By joining, you can help us:
understand what safe and compassionate support looks like
make sure our guidance reflects real practice
build a fair and supportive approach to regulation.
The group will meet through three online webinars over the next year, with short reading shared in advance.
If you or your organisation would like to be involved, please complete the form below to register your interest. Your experience could help shape how child contact services are supported and regulated in the future.
We need you
We have a dedicated email address for this project. You can send us questions at the following address:
We will aim to get back to you within five working days of receiving the email.
If you run a child contact service, we would really like to hear from you so we can support you before you need to register with us.
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