The state of California Courts makes decisions that are in the best interest of the child (ren) whose parents have custody or visitation matter in family court. The judge may order that a parent have contact with the child only under the supervision of a neutral third person when there are issues with protection and safety. This type of third-person visitation arrangement is often called “supervised visitation.”
ASANTE Family Agency consists of professionals who meet the legal requirements to facilitate court ordered supervised visitation services. We have licensed marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers or master level interns who are under the direct supervision of a qualified mental health professional available to monitor the visit. The visitation monitor has knowledge of:
- The role of a professional and therapeutic provider
- Child abuse reporting laws
- Record-keeping procedures/documentation
- Screening, monitoring, and termination of visitation
- Developmental needs of children
- Legal responsibilities and obligations of a provider
- Cultural sensitivity
- Conflicts of interest
- Confidentiality; and
- Issues relating to substance abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, and domestic violence.
Intake
Prior to starting the supervised visits a comprehensive intake and screening to assess the nature and degree of risk for each case will be completed. Each person (parent) will be interviewed separately to obtain identifying information and discuss the reasons for temporary suspension or termination of a visit by the court. Information regarding the child will also be gathered which includes the child’s age, capacity and any special instructions for visitation. The child will be included in the intake as appropriate.
The following is required to complete the intake:
- Copies of any protective order
- Current court orders
- Any Judicial Council form relating to supervised visitation orders
- A report of any written records of allegations of domestic violence or abuse;
- Information about the child’s health needs if the child has a chronic health condition;
Intake Hours are Monday-Thursday between 8am and 4pm. Other times and days are available by appointment only.
Note: The Visitation Monitor may suspend or terminate the supervised visitation if he/she determines that the risk factors present are placing in jeopardy the safety and welfare of the child or provider.
Services offered:
Since each family has unique circumstances and requirements, we provide a range of services that can be adapted to individual family needs. Services we offer include but are not limited to:
- Neutral pick-up/drop off
- Semi-supervised on-site visits
- Supervised visits
- Telephone monitoring
- Court appearances
- Visitation report
- Consultations
Supervised parent-child visitations are critical to the process of bringing parents and their children back together. ASANTE offers evening, weekend and after hour visitation schedules .
These visits not only provide feedback to the Court on the progress of a family, but more importantly, they allow the participants to maintain their familial bond. Other benefits of frequent visits, include, parent-child-sibling-family bond and also it provides parents with motivation and hope to keep working on their case plan. Frequent and quality visitation between parent-child is the strongest indicator of reunification.
Referrals
We accept referrals from:
- Child Welfare Agencies
- Juvenile and Family Court
- Domestic Violence Programs
- Self-Referrals
Fee for Service
For a fee schedule, contact us.