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This article is the result of qualitative research with all the players involved in the Espace de Rencontre (er) contact centre provision in France. This system has a legal grounding and seeks to respond to new social aspirations around the family, supporting the parent-child bond in the context of conflictual separation or in the event of one of the parents proving unable to welcome their child(ren). This research, conducted between 2017 and 2020 within twelve structures, aimed to better understand er practices, identify both the advantages and limits of the system, and raise new questions around the maintenance of filial links in complex situations. The experiences of the parents, children and professionals concerned were recorded by researchers from the humanities and social sciences. While this socio-judicial measure is well accepted by a majority of users, the way the children experience these encounters remains open to question.