Program Goals

The goals of Eckerd Connects™ Brevard Supervised Family Visitation are:

• Increase parenting capability
• Increase positive family interaction during visitation
• Increase reunification rates
• Decrease number of children re-entering out-of-home care

Logic Model

The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Eckerd Connects™ Brevard Supervised Family Visitation.

Essential Components

The essential components of Eckerd Connects™ Brevard Supervised Family Visitation include:

• Referrals are received from the local Dependency Court via case managers, Family Court via attorneys or noncustodial parents or self (private pay). All referrals require a court order for visitation.
• Referred families are contacted within 24 hours of receipt of referral.
• Intake/Orientation meeting is scheduled with custodial parent/caregiver and child(ren) and noncustodial parent separately.
• Pre and Post North Carolina Family Assessment Scale is conducted by a trained licensed therapist on noncustodial parent and family.
• Treatment goals are developed based on reasons for child removal, court order, and family assessment. The family and case manager are involved in development of goals.
• A safe and supportive environment is provided to allow noncustodial parents to have access to their children. Visits begin at a visitation room in a secure and controlled office setting, then progresses to a community setting and eventually to the noncustodial parent's home or a home-like setting based on parenting capability and progress of their reunification plan.
• Licensed therapists receive mandatory program training prior to working with families and follow a training schedule for ongoing training and refresher training.
• Trained therapists provide therapeutic visitation and monitor the visits to ensure child safety. A premeeting is set up between the therapist and noncustodial parent prior to each visit to discuss visit goals. During the visit, the therapist assists the parent through role-playing proper parenting skills and provides coaching and mentoring support. After the visit, a meeting is held with the therapist and noncustodial parent to debrief the visit.
• Therapists document all interactions that took place during the visit and report them to the court.
• Program is designed with three phases: The therapist assesses the noncustodial parent's abilities on a set of standards during each phase. The family does not move on to the next phase until the noncustodial parent demonstrates proper parenting capability in each standard skill within that phase.
• Families' status and progress shall be evaluated by the Supervised Visitation Worker and Family Services Program Manager no less than twice per month in order to determine whether families in higher, more structured levels of visitation can be stepped down to lower forms of visitation. If it is determined that step-down is appropriate, the Supervised Visitation Worker will notify the assigned Dependency Care Manager of the desired level change and confer regarding any concerns, including safety and progress toward goals. If all are in agreement, the Provider shall implement the level change.
• Therapist completes a program structure and process checklist to ensure fidelity for each family.

Program Delivery

Child/Adolescent Services

Eckerd Connects™ Brevard Supervised Family Visitation directly provides services to children/adolescents and addresses the following:

• History of abuse and/or neglect, fear of visiting noncustodial parent, trust/bonding issues

Parent/Caregiver Services

Eckerd Connects™ Brevard Supervised Family Visitation directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Lack of parenting skills with child exposed to abuse or neglect

Services Involve Family/Support Structures:

This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment: Program revolves around the improvement of parenting and supervision skills. In addition to direct skill building with the parent, other support systems are involved as needed.

Recommended Intensity:

Average contact is 2 hours twice per week; flexible per court order

Recommended Duration:

Recommended 4-6 months; flexible per court order

Delivery Setting

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider

Homework

Eckerd Connects™ Brevard Supervised Family Visitation includes a homework component:

No formalized homework component, but therapist will encourage practice of skills learned outside of the visits and advanced preparation of the next visit. Parent will also be given community resources to support their needs and encouraged to contact those resources outside of the visits.

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Family visitation room with games and activities

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Practitioner: Licensed Clinical Specialist

• Education – Master-level licensed therapist trained and credentialed in any or all of the following: family therapy, child development, and trauma treatment. Knowledgeable of issues related to children and families served in the child welfare system.
• Experience – Minimum of one year clinical experience in a multidisciplinary treatment setting. Prior experience with child welfare preferred.
• Skills – Clinical, testing, interpersonal, organizational, communication, and evaluative/diagnostic case writing.
• Physical Demands – Must be able to drive within designated service area. May be required to work irregular hours. Must be free of communicable diseases as defined by state and to the extent that knowledge is attainable under the law. Must be in good physical health and be emotionally stable.
• Other – Must meet background screening requirements. Must maintain an appropriate and valid state driver's license. Must maintain Mental Health licensure.

Supervisor: Family Visitation Supervisor

• Education - Bachelor's Degree in human services (e.g., psychology, social work, sociology or related field) or education required. An Associate's Degree and two additional years of related experience may substitute for a Bachelor's Degree.
• Experience - Three years experience working with youth and families required. Two years supervision experience required. Experience administering a residential or community based program preferred.
• Skills – Supervision, teaching, communication (verbal, written, listening) organizational (prioritizing tasks, maintaining case notes), counseling, child development, documentation, activity planning, motivation, creativity, and data collection.
• Physical Demands - Ability to spend extended periods of time in standing/walking/sitting positions in outdoor and classroom environments. Ability to actively participate with clients in recreational activities. Ability to lift up to 30 pounds. Must be free of communicable diseases as defined by the appropriate state and to the extent that knowledge is attainable under federal law.
• Other - Must have appropriate and valid state driver's license. Must meet state and EYA criminal background check requirements.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact:

• Talia Bryant
  tbryant@eckerd.org
  phone: (321) 735-7249

Training Type/Location:

Training is currently only available internally but could be modified for external purposes. Training is conducted through a combination of instructor led and online trainings. A training guideline and schedule exists for this program.

Number of days/hours:

Internal training is conducted throughout the year and involves trainings required to be facilitated within first two weeks of hire (approximately 40 hours of training), 6 months of hire (approximately 6 additional hours of training) and within one year of hire (approximately 20 additional hours of training). External training consultation is available.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for Eckerd Connects™ Brevard Supervised Family Visitation.

Additional References

No reference materials are currently available for Eckerd Connects™ Brevard Supervised Family Visitation.