A new family contact centre in Table View is aiming to provide children and separated families with a safe, child-friendly environment where relationships can be maintained and, where possible, rebuilt.

The Treehouse Family Centre, situated at 234 Blaauwberg Road, was officially opened recently by the Samuel Lawson Foundation NPC, with representatives from the Western Cape Department of Social Development and Ward 113 councillor Sue van der Linde among those attending.

The centre provides a range of services for families dealing with separation, parental conflict, safety concerns or a breakdown in contact.

These include supervised contact, reunification support, safe handovers, Voice of the Child services and mediation.

A child-centred approach

The centre has a private social worker, Tanya Daniels, based on site who works directly with children and families referred to the centre.

She assists with intake and screening, supervised contact, reunification support and child participation, while also working with courts and other professionals involved in family matters.

According to co-founder and CEO Jade Lawson, the idea for the centre grew out of her experience working as an advocate in the family courts.

“I kept seeing cases where supervised contact was ordered or recommended, but there was nowhere suitable for it to take place,” Lawson said.

“A family would leave court with an order, but no safe and child-friendly venue where the child could actually see their parent.”

Lawson said she also saw the impact of lengthy disputes between parents, particularly when children went months without seeing a parent.

“The longer it continued, the more difficult it became for the child and parent to rebuild their relationship,” she said.

“I remember thinking so many times that there had to be a better way. I wanted to create the place I wished I could have referred those families to.”

Creating a place where children can simply be children

A key feature of the Treehouse is its playroom, which Lawson said was deliberately designed to avoid the clinical feel associated with offices, consulting rooms or court-related environments.

“I did not want children to walk into another cold office, consulting room or place that reminded them of court,” she said.

“I wanted them to walk in and feel excited. It needed to feel like a space made especially for them, where they could play, read, draw, build things, use their imagination and simply be children.”

The environment is also intended to help children and parents reconnect naturally, particularly where contact has been interrupted for an extended period.

“When a parent and child have not seen each other for some time, sitting across from each other and being expected to talk can feel very uncomfortable,” Lawson said.

“Playing a game, reading a book or making pretend food together gives them a more natural way to reconnect. Sometimes it is in those very ordinary moments that trust slowly starts to grow again.”

Keeping children out of adult conflict

The centre does not take sides in disputes between parents, with its focus instead placed on the child’s wellbeing and individual circumstances.

Lawson said the aim was to reduce children’s exposure to adult conflict while providing a safe environment where important relationships could continue or be rebuilt where appropriate.

Every family undergoes an intake and screening process, with matters assessed according to the child’s age, safety and individual needs.

The centre works with courts, social workers, lawyers, advocates, mediators, psychologists and other professionals involved with families.

It can also assist families with implementing court orders, parenting plans and professional recommendations.

Making family support more accessible

The Treehouse also aims to ensure that its services are not limited to families who can afford private fees.

The centre uses a means test to determine whether families experiencing financial difficulties can qualify for reduced or subsidised services, depending on available funding.

The organisation relies on donations and sponsorships to help keep services accessible.

Plans to expand

The Table View centre is the first Treehouse Family Centre, but Lawson hopes it will eventually become the first of several.

“We would like to open more centres in the Western Cape and later in other provinces,” she said.

“I would also love to see family contact centres in communities where families currently have nowhere appropriate to go.”

The Samuel Lawson Foundation was established by Jade and her husband, Ernest Lawson, in memory of their son Samuel, who was stillborn at 38 weeks.

Through the foundation, the couple hopes to support families in maintaining and restoring connections with their children where it is safe and in the child’s best interests.

“The Treehouse is the beginning of that work,” Lawson said.

For more information send an email to jade@samuellawsonfoundation.org

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