About Clarence Valley Family Services

Our purpose

Clarence Valley Family Services was established to give local families safe, professional access to supervised contact and changeover services without needing to travel outside the region. We support children in maintaining meaningful, safe relationships with both parents during family separation, and we support parents in meeting the requirements of parenting orders and agreements.

How we work

Our practice is built around the national CCS Guiding Principles Framework for Good Practice (2018), and we are preparing for the accreditation standards being introduced under the Family Law Amendment Act 2024. In practice, this means:

• A minimum of two trained staff on site for all supervised visits and changeovers.
• An individual intake appointment for each parent before any service begins, so we can understand the family's needs and any safety considerations.
• Clear, written information for families and referrers about how our service operates.
• A commitment to child-centred, non-judgemental practice.

Our premises

We are based at Suite F, 17–19 Prince Street, Grafton NSW 2460. Our premises has been set up specifically for safe, comfortable supervised contact:

• Large supervision room — a spacious, child-friendly room with separate entrances for each participant, so parents do not need to encounter one another when arriving or leaving.
• Locked external doors — all external doors remain locked during services, so entry and exit are managed by our staff at all times.
• Ramps and lift accessibility — the premises is accessible for prams, wheelchairs and anyone with limited mobility.

Our team

Visits and changeovers are supported by trained Contact Supervisors and support staff, consistent with the Framework's two-staff requirement. All staff undergo screening, including Working with Children Checks, and are trained for their roles.