Offered to Court-Referred Clients through our DCS Community-Based Contract

Service Description

It is the fundamental right for children to visit with their parents and siblings.

The relationship developed by the child with the parent is one of bonding, dependency, and being nurtured, all of which must be protected for the emotional wellbeing of the child.

It is of extreme importance for a child not to feel abandoned in placement by either the child’s parents or by other siblings, and for a child to be reassured that no harm has befallen either parent or siblings when separation occurs.

Visit facilitation as identified by DCS/Probation will be provided between parents / children / siblings and/or others who have been separated due to a substantiated allegation of abuse or neglect or involvement with juvenile probation.

Visitation allows the child an opportunity to reconnect and reestablish the parent/child/family relationship in a safe environment. It is an excellent time for
parents to learn and practice new concepts of parenting and to assess their own ability to parent through interaction with the child.

Supervised visitation allows the DCS/Probation to assess the relationship between the child and parent and to assist the parent in strengthening their parenting skills and developing new skills

The role of the visitation provider is to protect the integrity of the visit and provide a positive atmosphere where parents and children may interact in a safe, structured environment.

Visitation may be held in a visitation facility; neutral sites such as parks, fast food restaurant with playground, or shopping malls; child’s own home or relative’s home; foster home; or other location as deemed appropriate by the referring agency and other parties involved in the child’s case taking into consideration the child’s physical safety and emotional wellbeing.

The level and frequency of supervision required for visitation and how the supervision is handled will depend upon the purposes for which it is required. Supervision of visits should be consistent with identified case issues and supportive of case goals. Some of the major purposes of supervision are:

  • protective, when there is reason to believe there are ongoing safety concerns,
  • ongoing assessment, in determining when and if the child can safely return home,
  • supporting the building of a mutually satisfying relationship between participants, and
  • support of ongoing family treatment, by teaching and demonstrating parenting skills to
    parents and caregivers.

There are three types of supervised visitations: in office, in community, and in home. Parents typically commence with office visits. With progress, this can evolve into community visits. If goals are being met, parents can eventually have in home visits.