Our Intake Process
Our intake process is one of the most comprehensive in the industry and has been designed to be #alwayschildfocused. Depending on the availability of both parents, our intake process can take up to 7 days to complete.
By this point you should have received our information pack. If not, we encourage you to go to fill out our enquiry page here to receive our information pack and directions to begin the intake process.
Referral Form Submission
Our Referral Form is the first step to entry into our service. Accessed via a link provided by us, you can fill it out at your own pace.
In addition to answering our questions we require both parents to provide copies of identification court orders and other relevant documents which can be uploaded into the form.
We use the information you provide to start planing for your visits. So its important that you are as accurate as possible.
The Intake Assessment
Intake Assessments are done either over the phone or online and take approx 45 - 60 minutes. Assessments are run by our Senior Contact Workers who conduct the interview with humility and discretion.
We use these interviews not only to assess each family's suitability for our service, but to get an understanding of each family's unique needs. From this, our Senior Contact Workers, with the support of our Service Manager, can begin to tailor contact visits that are appropriate and child-focused.
Meet Our Senior Contact Workers
Nicole
Senior Contact Worker
Jess
Senior Contact Worker
Nicole delivers a strengths-based program to support parents in building a positive relationship with their children through separation. Her sessions are conducted with respect, honesty and an understanding of the complexities unique to each family.
Even though Jess is our most recent addition to our Senior Contact Worker team, she bring with her a wealth of knowledge gained from a decades worth of experience in Children's Contact programs - so naturally she fits right in!
Would you like to know more about our Intake Assessments?
Intake Assessments at Holding Hands are conducted by our Senior Contact Workers which is why Jakki invited one of our Senior Contact Workers Sam on to the podcast. Take the opportunity to be introduced to Sam as she explains why we do intake assessments and what happens during an intake assessment .
This episode is highly recommended for parents who are about to have their intake assessment interviews with Holding Hands.
Child Familiarisation Sessions
Once both parents have successfully undertaken their intake assessments, our Service Manager will organise for your newly allocated Contact Worker to have a short visit to introduce themselves to your child prior to the first Contact Visit.
These short play-focused sessions allow your child to become familiar with their allocated Contact Worker in an environment that is familiar to them, often your home or a nearby playground. It's all part of our thoughtful approach.
#alwayschildfocused
Child Familiarisation Sessions - Why do we do them?
Child Familiarisation Sessions are an important part of the intake process at Holding Hands and should form a part of children's contact visits. These sessions are the first time your child and the parent they live with have to meet your allocated contact worker. This opportunity to start building trust often decreases any anxiety a child has in the lead up to their first contact visit - which we think all parents would agree is incredibly important.
Join Jakki, Sam and Ben as they discuss this all important pre visit session and the benefits it has for your child as they commence contact visits.
Parents who have completed their intake assessments and have a child familiarisation session scheduled with Holding Hands are strongly recommended to listen to this podcast
Parent Support
Parents entering our service can easily feel overwhelmed by the amount of change they are experiencing.
Continuing our child-focused approach to contact visits, Holding Hands offers parents short, one-on-one sessions with a parent support specialist. These 30 minute sessions are based on a single area of concern and help to improve your experience during contact visits.
We encourage parents to contact our Service Manager for more information in relation to these programs.
