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Visitation Guidelines
The State of Alaska provides guidelines for resource families regarding visitation. The following is summarized from the Alaska Resource Family Handbook published by the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Office of Children's Services .
Reunification is usually the first goal for families, but keeping children safe is the overall concern. There are guidelines that promote contact but also provide limits for the safety of the child. Remember the case plan? The case plan clarifies what kind of contact is going to be allowed. So visits are allowed, but there are limits and guidelines on the kind and frequency of contact that is allowed. As a resource parents, you need to know what the visitation and contact schedule is and what the social worker expects of you.
The Office of Children’s Services (OCS) Must Allow Reasonable VisitationOCS is required to provide reasonable visitation between the child and his parents and family members. “Reasonable” visitation is determined by quality of the relationship between a child and the family member. OCS may deny visitation to parents or family members if there is clear and convincing evidence that visits are not in the best interests of the child.
Visits are determined by the social worker and possibly the courts. Visits are important because they help keep children and parents connected, and keep parent motivated to follow through on making the necessary changes.
The social worker should discuss the visitation plan with you once it is determined. It is best to get it in writing and get any change in the visitation plan confirmed in writing by the placement worker. Visits and contact will fluctuate throughout the placement, usually increasing as reunification gets closer.
The Visitation Plan Clearly Defines Who Has Contact with a Child
The visitation plan defines who has contact with a child. But sometimes, resource parents will discover someone important to the child who is not known by the social worker . Because we want to keep children connected to their extended families as well, resource parents can ask children who they might want to see or who they are connected with. Then discuss the matter with the social worker. If a relative or friend contacts you directly about visitation with the child, refer the person to the social workers. Do not permit the child to visit with the individual without OCS approval.
If a child has brothers or sisters in other foster homes, talk to the placement worker about the possibility of the siblings being allowed to visit one another. Often times, with the permission of the social worker, sibling visits can be arranged through foster families arranging the visits. Children are often are very close to their siblings and may miss or worry about brothers and sisters. Even if children are not able to reunify with their parents, sibling ties should be maintained.
You should receive reasonable notice of a planned visit. If you have any concerns about a child’s visit with a relative or friend, you should discuss it with your placement worker. You should also be clear about what kind of telephone contact is allowed between parent and child, or other relatives and the child (i.e. grandparents, aunts and uncles).
Some Visits Are Supervised, Some Are Not
Visits may take place at OCS, the parent’s home, a public place, or the foster parent’s home with the permission of the foster parent. Some visits or phone contact may require supervision, meaning that a designated person needs to be present when the child visits the parents. This person may be a third party or the foster parent if the foster parent agrees.
Some communities, such as Anchorage and Mat Su, have supervised visitation programs, which involve a contract with an agency to monitor and supervise visits. Sometimes a social worker or social services associate will supervise a visit at the OCS office. Sometimes, you might be asked to supervise a visit. You may or may feel comfortable doing this. Discuss this thoroughly with your worker and make sure that you understand what the expectations are. The social worker should also discuss the expectations with the birth parent as well. Supervising visits may put you in a difficult position so make sure you and your social worker talk about what it means to supervise a visit and that you are comfortable accepting that responsibility.
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