Harpenden Child Contact Centre
History
Harpenden Child Contact Centre – A history
March 2005 – Loretta Ramswell recruits helpers to set up HCCC
April 2006 – Committee set up
October 2006 – Contact Centre launched
November 2006 – First child contact session
February 2007 – HCCC wins Vision for Action community award
2008 – HCCC accredited for the first time by NACCC
2010 – Margaret Adcock becomes Coordinator of HCCC
2012 – Tony Gilbert becomes Chair
2014 – Ken Brennan and Stephen Pam take over as Coordinators
2017 – Peter Norwood takes over as Chair
2017 – 10th anniversary event
2018 – Brigid Brennan becomes Chairman
2018 – Loretta stands down from committee
2020 – Sam Cooper replaces Stephen as Coordinator
2022 – Coordinator roles replaced by new Admin team
Early Days
Harpenden Child Contact Centre was the brainchild of our founder, Loretta Ramswell. She was listening to the radio in 2005 when a news story about the National Child Contact Centre organisation struck a chord. She had recently lost touch with members of her own family and knew how painful it could be.
She decided to explore the possibility of setting up a Child Contact Centre in Harpenden, knowing there was no facility in her area that offered the service that she had heard described in the news story. It seemed to her that she had an obligation to create an organisation that could help families overcome the seemingly impossible barriers created by divorce and separation.
Loretta was sixty-four when she started the project, having retired from working at the LSE library in 2004. At a loose end after a busy working life, she joined the Open Door organisation. This experience helped her find out, in detail, how referrals to community and social organisations work. She and her late husband, John, were committed Christians, though from different traditions, Anglican and Roman Catholic. Loretta decided that the organisation needed to be open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of religion or other classifications. Her vision was that HCCC would not be linked to any particular church or religion though it would welcome support from any community organisation that wanted to help. From the start HCCC has maintained its independence.
Loretta approached Elizabeth Inall, the vicar of All Saints in Harpenden to ask for help. Elizabeth addressed the congregation and they were all delighted when twenty two volunteers stepped forward. One of them, Roy Mutlow, agreed to be the first Chairman.
It was essential to have trustees in place to ensure compliance with the rules of the Charities Commission and to provide financial governance. Roy Mutlow, Brian Inall, Sally Norwood, Elizabeth Card and Tony Gilbert and Ginette Hampton took on this important role. Tony Gilbert, who later became Chairman, knew of a number of potential donors and other sources of funding. This was music to Loretta’s ears as she had been dreading tackling the inevitable need for fundraising. Brian Inall became treasurer and Ginette Hampton was Toy Coordinator.
HCCC took the unusual step of setting up a membership scheme where members pay an annual donation to the centre. Many of the early volunteers became, and remain, members who provide essential support for the Centre. The commitment of the members is clear. Membership fees provide a valuable, regular financial foundation.
In April 2006 the new team of committee members and volunteers met officially for the first time. They worked long hours to set up the new organisation, learning from experts and planning. There were visits to existing child contact centres in the region and the team spread the word in the community. They visited Mothers Union meetings, local churches, solicitors and schools. They put together budgets and found a venue. Donations were sought, and received, from local businesses and organisations including All Saints Church, Harpenden Trust, The Local Network Fund and Sainsbury’s. Toys and equipment were acquired in anticipation of the first sessions.
NACCC was a rich source of information on how to set up and run a child contact centre. The team put operating processes together, created rotas, brainstormed likely pitfalls and information to give participating parents.
The first contact session was held in November 2006 and the HCCC was up and running. The team comprised the Chairman, Roy Mutlow, a treasurer and a deputy coordinator. Loretta, as founder, took the lead in doing the set-up work, working closely with NACCC. The national organisation provided a lot of guidance and support. Loretta feels that their guidelines and experience made a real difference.
The official launch date was the 20th October 2006 and the first session was held on the 11th November in the same year. There were twenty volunteers and Loretta took on the role of coordinator.
‘We were all novices and pretty nervous’ she said. Initially she attended every session but, as other volunteers gained confidence and experience, the workload could be shared.
Initially there was only one attendee – a little girl who attended the first four sessions on her own. The news about the service soon spread and soon, more families signed up.
In 2008 HCCC was accredited for the first time by NACCC. This was an important milestone and the team felt very proud of their achievements. Accreditations are hard-won and have to be reviewed and repeated every three years. HCCC has continued to be accredited ever since.
Loretta was able to build a highly effective team. Margaret Adcock, (married name, Hewetson Brown), became a volunteer after she and her husband, Peter, a District Judge at Luton Court, attended an HCCC AGM.
Margaret was a highly respected local social worker, with many years experience working with vulnerable families, having been the senior social worker at Great Ormond Street Hospital. She collaborated on the book, ‘Good-Enough Parenting – A Framework for Assessment’, which has become an essential guide for those working in the field of family support and care. She spoke to Loretta about the kind of facilities parents and children would need to help them move on from the Centre to other services.
Volunteers have been the backbone of the organisation from the start. When times have been difficult they have always stepped up to ensure the service is protected. For example, HCCC took the challenging step of setting up an admin team to manage the organisation instead the traditional coordinator role. Volunteers helped ensure the continuing smooth running of the Centre as the new processes took shape.
The Covid pandemic had an impact on HCCC alongside many other social organisations and charities. The Centre had to close for many months but the volunteers were determined to provide local families with much needed support. Once restrictions started to ease Ken and Sam worked tirelessly to enable the Centre to reopen as soon as possible. Indeed, HCCC opened much earlier than other centres in the county. There was another period of closure when further restrictions were imposed, but again the Centre reopened as soon as it was judged to be safe.
Since its inception HCCC has been a valuable resource that has gained the respect of community organisations and the gratitude of the families they have helped.
Loretta is no longer involved in the day to day running of HCCC but stays in touch with the committee and volunteers. She is very proud of everything the service has achieved and has cherished memories of all the families she worked with over the years.
Notable Achievements and Events
Opening event in 2006 – In attendance – Judge Carr, family Judge for Watford Magistrates Courts, plus 2 magistrates for Central Herts Family Panel, Mayor of St Albans, Mayor of Harpenden, 11 solicitors, 2 reps from The Child and Family Court Advisory Support Service, Rev. Elizabeth Inall.
First funding received – from Duncan Gore (Natl Training and Dev Officer for NACCC), Sandra Rome, Spurgeons Bedford, Pam Thomas CAFCASS Luton, Jill Steed, Social Worker and member of Harpenden Trust, Margaret Ashby, Luton CCC, Hilary Donovan, Coordinator Hemel CCC.
Awards – Feb 2007 Vision for Action community award
Accreditation from NACCC in 2008 – accreditations are renewed every three years
Opportunities and Challenges
Harpenden has proved to be a rich source of wonderful, dedicated volunteers. The community seems to be full of people willing to donate their time and energy to running the centre and helping families.
In a challenging economic environment it is always a tough job finding sources of funding. The team works hard to apply for grants and approach local businesses.
We continue to work with organisations who can refer families to HCCC for assistance. It is sometimes challenging to keep communicating so that the right people know what we offer. We need to ensure that HCCC is the first place that courts, solicitors, health professionals and schools think of when working with families who need some help.
Looking To The Future
HCCC is committed to ensure the Centre can continue to flourish and engage with the local community and beyond. It looks to recruit new trustees to ensure effective continuity of leadership and management, and new volunteers to enable its vital work to continue. HCCC welcomes all existing and new members whose annual donation provides the backbone of our financial health.
“It has helped me to see my daughter in a calm environment.”
“Provided a safe place for my daughter to re-develop relations with her father.”
“Very caring and supportive staff – all have been a great help.”
“Two years is a wonderful milestone. I’d like to return your thanks ten fold for giving me the opportunity to be part of something so worthwhile.”
“Thank you for making a very difficult time in our lives a lot easier.”
“Thank you very much for all your help and support.”
From Loretta
“To everyone who travelled the journey of HCCC together with me – from the first to the last – my deepest heartfelt thanks. What a joy and pleasure it has been for me to share my life time experience with you all.”
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