Supervised Visitation is provided between parents, children, siblings, and/or others who have been separated due to allegations of abuse or neglect, or are involved with juvenile probation. Visitation allows the child an opportunity to reconnect and reestablish the parent/child/family relationship in a safe environment. It is a time for parents to learn and practice new parenting techniques and to assess their own ability to parent through interaction with the child. Supervised visitation allows the referring agency, in most cases the Department of Child Services or the Courts of St. Joseph County, to assess the relationship between the child and parent and to assist the parent in strengthening their parenting skills, and develop 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. Supervised Visitation may be held onsite at FFC, in the community, in the parents’ 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 well-being.

Families First Center is a member of the Supervised Visitation Network (SVN) which is a multi-national non-profit membership organization that is literally a network of agencies and individuals who are interested in assuring that children can have a safe, conflict-free access to parents with whom they do not reside. SVN is dedicated to providing children with opportunities for safe, conflict-free access to both parents.