CHILD AND FAMILY VISITATION

VISITATION

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Competencies

SW110-01 Ability to complete visitation plans that underscore the importance of arranging and maintaining immediate, frequent, and meaningful parent-child visitation when out-of-home placements are deemed necessary

SW110-02 Ability to prepare parents for the agency’s expectations about a

parent’s role and responsibilities during parent-child visitation

SW110-03 Understands the complex emotions experienced by children and parents prior to, during, and after parent-child visitation

SW109-04 Ability to help prepare parents and children for the unique challenges of family reunification in a manner that minimizes stress and provides maximum support

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Learning Outcomes

You will be able to:

•Explain the importance and benefits of visitation•Describe how visitation improves Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being outcomes•State the elements of a quality visitation plan•Cite the RCW and Policy that dictates visitation•Define the three types of visitations •Complete specific tasks in each phase of the visitation process•Ensure successful visits between parents and their children

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What is the Purpose of Visitation?

•Observe the parent with the child?or

•Maintain the child-parent attachment and relationship?

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Guiding Principles

• Early, consistent, and frequent visitation is crucial for maintaining the parent-child relationship

• Visitation is necessary to develop appropriate connections between parents and children

• Purposeful visitation improves safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes

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For the Child, Visitation is:

• Essential for a child’s well-being

• Fundamental to permanency

• Vital to a child maintaining family relationships and cultural connections

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Visitation is Essential for a Child’s Well-being

A child needs to see and have regular contact with their parents, as the parent-child relationship is the foundation of child development

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Visitation is Fundamental to Permanency

• Necessary for lasting reunification

• Promotes timely reunification

• Helps in the decision-making process to establish alternative permanency plans

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Visitation is Vital to Preserving Cultural Connections

• Maintaining family ties has life-long significance for the child

• A loss of family connection is a loss of family history and cultural information

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Visitation is a Legal Right for Children and Parents

Visitation and family contact should never be used as a reward or punishment, but should be considered a right of families and children

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Benefits of Frequent Visitation• Exhibit fewer behavior problems

• Have less anxiety and depression

• Have higher well-being ratings

• Improved rates of adjustment to placement

• More likely discharged from placement

• Experience shorter placements

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Definitions of Visits

• Supervised

• Monitored

• Unsupervised

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Legal and Policy Requirements• http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?

cite=13.34.136

• Practice and Procedures Guide 4254

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Three Phases of Visitation

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INITIAL PHASE OF VISITATION

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First Visit• Schedule as soon as possible

• Research suggests within 48 hours of placement

• Shelter care visitation standard

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Contracted Visit Service Providers• Contracted visit service providers will:

– Complete a Parent-Child Visit Assessment (2 hours) on all new referrals.

– Provide the report to the CA worker within 5 calendar days from initial visit.

– The report will include the visit schedule and any additional needs of the family not documented in the referral.

– The assessment includes the first visit between the parent and child.

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Engaging Fathers• Make efforts to immediately identify and• contact fathers• Contact fathers to discuss the visits• Keep fathers equally informed about the child’s

appointments/activities• Ensure that foster parents know about father’s

involvement

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Frequency of Visitation• The primary purpose of visitation is to

maintain the child’s attachment and relationship with their parents

• Frequency of visitation is consistent with the child’s age and development

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Frequency of Visitation• Very young children

• School age children

• Youth

• Siblings

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Supervised or Unsupervised Visits?

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Supervised Visitation• The visitation plan includes a summary

statement of the assessed safety reasons that a supervised visit is necessary.

• The parents, child/youth and foster parent understand the reasons why the visit is supervised.

• The plan describes the conditions and arrangements of the supervision.

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Developing the Visitation Plan• Completed in FamLink• Prepared by the social worker in partnership with

the parents within 3 days of placement• Involves parents, child/youth, and foster parents,

best practice includes family support system• Includes visits with parents, siblings and the

child’s other significant relationships

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Continued: Developing the Visitation Plan

• Ensure frequency and settings of face to face visits

• Connects a child’s safety with supervision• Considers child’s and parents daily schedule• Respects and incorporates the family’s culture

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Continued: Developing the Visitation Plan

• Ensures parental involvement in decision-making associated with the child’s wellbeing and participation in child’s activities

• Plans for transportation• Plan to manage likely problems• Identifies behaviors that are considered a safety

factor which may end the visit• Provides a process/notice to cancel a visit• Plans for other forms of visitation/contact

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Working Towards Successful Visits• Preparing the parents and children• Ensure the level of visitation is the child’s best

interest• Placement decision supports frequent visits• Individualized visitation plans• Visits in the least-restrictive, safe location

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Suggestions for Parents

Do • Age appropriate activities,

food, etc.• Bring a book• Play a game• Talk about school• Bring a healthy snack• Provide comfort

Don’t• Discuss court orders, case

plans, and other legal/case management issues

• Make promises that cannot be kept

• Whispering• Drugs, profanity, and/or

weapons

Handout: Positive Parenting Tips for Healthy Child Development

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Location Options• CA office or private agency• Parent’s home• Relative home• Foster home• Park or public location

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Middle Phase of Visitation

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Assess the Visitation Plan• Visitation activities offer parents the chance to

demonstrate new skills?• Does the plan address the challenges?• What are the reactions to visits?• Does the visitation plan support achieving the

permanency goal ?

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Promotion of Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being Outcomes

Assess and consider how visitation is promoting these outcomes:

•Are parents involved in making decisions about their child?•Is visitation enhancing the parents’ capacities?•Does the plan provide a shift of parental responsibilities?

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Assessment of Visitations

• Role of a visit supervisor• Documentation versus evaluation• Behavior specific versus judgmental• Social worker assess quality of visits

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Third Phase of Visitation

From Foster Care to Permanency

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Transition PhaseVisits are structured to:

•Support stable reunification or transition to alternative permanency family•Ensure the child’s well-being needs are met•Support the child’s family, kinship, cultural and community connections

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Things to Remember• Visitation is a child’s right, not a parent’s

privilege• Visitation should never be used as a reward or

punishment• Visitation should be planned and purposeful• Visitation activities should match the child’s

developmental level• Visitation should occur in as natural a setting as

possible

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