Children’s Contact Services Reform

Children's Contact Services (CCSs) occupy a unique and important position within Australia's family law system. Their core business focuses on the needs of children whose parents are separating or separated and who cannot manage contact arrangements.

The government is committed to ensuring the safety of families who access family law services and to maintaining high service standards within the sector. This is why we are exploring options for implementing a CCS accreditation scheme.

Public consultation

Initial consultation

In March 2021 we released the consultation paper Establishment of an Accreditation Scheme for Children's Contact Services. It sought the views of a range of stakeholders to help inform the possible establishment of an CCS accreditation scheme.

The consultation closed on 28 May 2021. Read a summary report of all the submissions along with copies of submissions we had permission to publish.

Consultation workshops

In response to the submissions we received, we hosted a series of virtual workshops with interested stakeholders. Workshops discussed issues related to the development of an accreditation scheme.

Each session facilitated discussion focused on a specific theme around understanding the real life impacts of accreditation. The 6 topics explored were:

1. The scope of the Children's Contact Services accreditation scheme and responsibility for administration.
2. Complaints mechanisms and penalties for operating without accreditation.
3. Staff qualification requirements and ongoing professional development requirements.
4. Other human resources-related issues.
5. Service standards and offerings.
6. Safety requirements including the physical environment and evidence requirements.

We used the information gained during the workshops to inform the development of an impact analysis. An impact analysis is a structured process designed to identify strengths and challenges with different approaches to address a problem, including likely costs and benefits.

Changes to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)

In December 2024, the Family Law Amendment Act 2024 (Cth) became law. The Act made changes to the Family Law Act including establishing a framework for the later regulation of the CCS sector.  

Impact analysis

Following these amendments, we developed detailed options for the proposed accreditation scheme. In July 2025, we released an impact analysis detailing these options and invited submissions from stakeholders.

The consultation period closed on 15 September 2025. Read about what we learned from the consultation and view copies of the submissions we had permission to publish.

Following consultation, we will complete the impact analysis. The final sections of the impact analysis will be directly informed by this consultation process.