The Supervised Visitation Center Courtney Hall MSW Program

The Supervised Visitation Center Courtney Hall, MSW Program Coordinator D. C. Superior Court Supervised Visitation Center

Supervised Visitation Center (SVC) v. Court operated facility that gives non-custodial parents a place to have supervised visitation with their children v. Serves as a neutral third party between individuals involved in domestic violence or custody cases v. Serves as a “last resort” for individuals who cannot come to an agreement on who will monitor visitation between children and noncustodial parents v. Use of the Center requires a court order

Program Objectives v To provide a neutral location for visits between noncustodial parents and children v To serve as a site for the exchange of children v To protect the safety of children and the custodial parents v To preserve the visitation rights of the non-custodial parent

Program Services v. Supervised Visitation v. Neutral Drop-off and Pick-up v. Child Advocacy v. Court Testimony v. Referrals for Services v. Recommendations for Service and Treatment

What Happens During Supervised Visitation? v Parties do not have the opportunity to see each other due to staggered arrival and departure times v Non-custodial parties are monitored while visiting their children v An unbiased third party monitors the visit v Visitation occurs in a secure environment

SVC Documentation v. While parties are visiting, an SVC staff member completes an Observation form v. This form details the behavior of the child(ren) as well as the visiting party v. Records activities of visiting parties and child(ren) v. Illustrates parenting skills of visiting party v. Details areas of concern raised by SVC staff

Exchange Documentation v. Details arrival and departure times of both parties v. Records child(ren) reaction and demeanor towards visiting party v. Details child(ren) appearance when leaving and returning from visit

Visitation Rules at a Glance v Parties are scheduled fifteen minutes apart v Visiting parties may not bring anyone to visit who is not included in the Court Order v Visiting parties may not bring anything with them v Visiting parties may not question or discuss Court matters with the child v If parties miss three or more consecutive visits, the judge may be notified v Custodial parties may not interfere with an ongoing visit

Children’s Rights Guidelines v SVC does not allow prolonged physical contact v Visit will be cancelled if child chooses not to visit v SVC will end the visit if the child consistently requests to leave the visit v Discussion of past visits and projections of future visitations are not allowed v Information cannot be relayed through the child