On Thursday, June 15, 2006, Prevent Child Abuse–Forsyth Committee held it’s quarterly Lunch N Learn at Northside Forsyth Hospital. The focus for the session was Foster Care.

Pat Plant, Victim Advocate for The Forsyth County Child Advocacy Center (FCCAC), shared with the audience details about the Supervised Visitation program the FCCAC oversees in conjunction with The Forsyth County Superior Court, Juvenile Court, and DFCS. These entities work in collaboration to provide services to families that support reunification through regularly scheduled visitation. The program is funded in part through a DHR grant: Promoting Safe and Stable Families.

The program is held on Saturday mornings at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit – a church committed to reaching out to the community and helping families in crisis. They offer their school facility each week for the program.

The purpose of visitation is to support family reunification while promoting child safety, stability, and well-being. The Child Welfare League standards state that visitation is “a right of both children and parents and a parental responsibility”.

Parents of children in foster care have the right to “regularly scheduled visits and other contact with their children unless prohibited by the court for compelling reasons.” Ensuring that visitation occurs meets the criteria for reasonable efforts in regard to providing family services. Supervised visitation is defined as planned, face-to-face contact between a child in foster care or relative placement and his or her biological family. This reduces the harm of separation. In planning for permanency, visitation allows for grandparents, or other relatives in a child’s life to visit, if approved by the Department of Family and Children’s Services.

Visitation is also an important service for families dealing with the pain separation of divorce. Supervised visits can be arranged for non-custodial parents in compliance with court orders. In child welfare cases, supervised visitation has been described as the key to successful family reunification. Visitation is the primary mechanism through which family relationships are maintained while a child is in out-of-home care.

The observation staff is composed of trained volunteers from the community. Visits are scheduled on Saturday mornings at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit on Pilgrim Mill Road in Cumming. “We feel fortunate to have many professionals and dedicated citizens in the community who volunteer their time in support of Forsyth County’s children,” states Pat Plant of FCCAC.

To become a Visitation Volunteer, contact Pat Plant at the Forsyth County Child Advocacy Center at (678) 208-1908 or patplant_fccac@fdn.com.