Written question asked by Baroness May of Maidenhead (Conservative) on Thursday, 14 October 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 November 2004. It was answered by Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 November 2004 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Dept for Education and Skills

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many contact centres are in operation in England; and how many of these are supervised contact centres. - Inc figures.

Answer: Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many contact centres are in operation in England; and how many of these are supervised contact centres. [192530] Margaret Hodge: A mapping exercise conducted by the (former) Lord Chancellors Department (now the Department for Constitutional Affairs) in autumn 2002, identified approximately 520 voluntary sector child contact centres in England and Wales. 483 of these centres were based in England. Of the 483 centres in England, 47 offered supervised child contact services only, while a further 73 centres offered both supervised and supported child contact services. Under the 2002 Spending Review, funding has been made available through a DfES/Sure Start joint investment fund to establish 14 new supervised contact centres. This funding was announced in March 2004, The operation of these new supervised centres will be supported by £2.5 million from the total £3.5 million joint investment fund, up until March 2006.

Secondary information