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Several Salvation Army Worship and Community Centers offer Supervised Visitation Programs that provide safe opportunities for parents to visit their children who are in foster care.
In the summer of 2014, the Supervised Visitation Program was first introduced to Ken and his daughter Alice, 3. Alice had been removed from Ken’s custody because of domestic violence issues at home between Ken and Alice’s mother, coupled with extreme anger issues that Ken had been dealing with.
Needless to say, this family had been through a lot when they first walked through our doors. Alice had witnessed a lot of trauma at home which had a profound effect on her behavior. When Alice first started coming to the Supervised Visitation Program to see her father Ken every week, she was very hesitant to be involved in the program. Alice would throw tantrums when she arrived to the program, and whine consistently throughout visits with her father. In addition, Alice was very defiant towards Ken during visits. Ken, on the other hand, first came to visits with poor parenting skills combined with a lack of knowledge on child development.
Through extensive education and coaching from our trained professionals at the Supervised Visitation program, we were able to see a tremendous change in how the visits were going between Ken and Alice. Ken gradually learned what toys were age appropriate for Alice, as well as what behaviors were normal for her at the developmental level she was at. Ken learned how to praise Alice when she did something noteworthy within the visit, such as help clean up toys. Alice began to ask for Ken when she arrived for visits, where as she was hesitant in the beginning to even see him, crying when he would arrive. Alice became less aggressive in visits with her father; instead of defying him she began to cling to him.
Through Ken’s receptiveness to staff feedback, his execution of our rules, and proper discipline, he was able to model the visit with his daughter Alice into one that is pleasurable and exciting each week. Alice now runs to the door and screams, “Daddy!” before Ken arrives to see her each week. The two engage in play that is affectionate, appropriate and a joy to see by our staff. Ken is able to understand his daughter and where she is at developmentally, which helps him carry out appropriate play with Alice.
Ken and Alice are a true success story for our Supervised Visitation program. To see a family relationship go from chaotic and tumultuous to one of love and mutual respect, is a true blessing. Ken continues to visit Alice on a weekly basis and the two have developed an extremely loving bond over time.
Tags: Faces of The Army