Continuum of Services Unsupervised exchange in a public place - - PDF document

7/27/2015 1 Rural Domestic Violence: Custody and Beyond – Supervised Visitation and Exchanges

Melissa Scaia, MPA

Executive Director

Domestic Abuse Intervention Program and Advocates for Family Peace Minnesota

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Continuum of Services

 Unsupervised exchange in a public place  Unsupervised exchange at a police department  Supervised exchange at a police department  Supervised exchange by a family member/friends  Supervised exchange at a center  Supervised visitation by a family member/friends  Supervised visitation at a center

 Group supervised visitation  One-on-one supervised visitation  Therapeutic supervised visitation

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Domestic Violence After Separation and Supervised Visitation/Exchange

How might these tactics be observed in supervised visitation?

POSITIVE: putting on a show, compliance in hopes of ending supervision, charming or engaging staff as supportive witnesses in litigation NEGATIVE: disobeying rules, resisting feedback and limits, minimizing concerns

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Domestic Violence After Separation and Supervised Visitation/Exchange What is the role of the center?

 Different Philosophies

 Safety of the child only  Safety of adult victim & child

 When to Intervene?

 Parenting style vs. safety  Space vs. undo harm/facilitate change  Arm of the court  What good will it do?  Intervention vs. documentation

Incorporating Safety for Battered Women in Our Programming

 Looking at safety in stages of the two hour

visit, the first two years of separation, and the next twenty years

 Understanding post-separation violence and

manipulation

Programmatic Features of Supervised Visitation and Exchanges

 Guidelines / rules of a center  Philosophy about intervening during visits  Contact with both parents after every visit  Resource to our battered women of a SVC

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Transportation (van pick-up/gas vouchers) provided to all clients when needed

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Car seats given to families that needed them

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Food vouchers  Fees for service

7/27/2015 3 Programmatic Features of Supervised Visitation(continued)

 Third party court order status  Attending all court hearings  Our definition of neutrality  Security  A negative visit does not equal an unsafe visit  Documentation

Program components of the WFSP (continued)

 Inviting others to the visit  Allowing children and parents to discuss the incident

that brought them to use supervised visitation

 Varying levels of monitoring the visits

 Group visits  One-on-one visits  Therapeutic Supervised Visitation

Conclusion

 Questions, comments, thoughts……….  Melissa Scaia, Executive Director

Advocates for Family Peace 218-326-0388 mscaia@stopdomesticabuse.org Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs executivedirector@theduluthmodel.org