4.19 Visitation Agreement

Creating and Maintaining the Visitation Agreement

The SSW:

1. Negotiates and signs with the family, caregiver, or placement provider a visitation agreement regarding visitation arrangements with the parent(s), sibling(s), relative(s), and others that are important to the child during the initial case planning conference; 
2. Reviews the visitation agreement with the participants, at minimum, during each subsequent periodic review of the case plan, and revisions are made as appropriate; 
3. Negotiates the frequency of visits depending on the parent's circumstances and the child’s age, however at minimum:
   
1. Within the first week of placement; and 
   
2. Every two (2) weeks; documents any FSOS approved exception regarding the frequency of visits in the case record;
   
4. Follows the procedures outlined below after the agreement has been negotiated and signed; 
5. Follows the procedures outlined in SOP 4.18 Ongoing Case Planning​ when visitation arrangements need modification before a periodic review. 
6. Ensures that a partnership plan has been negotiated with the parents and caregivers to include discussion surrounding the visitation agreement and to ensure that everyone has input.
   

The FSOS:

1. Must approve any exceptions to the minimum standards regarding the frequency of visits between parent and child.

The SRA or regional office designee:

1. Must approve visits between the child, parents, and/or siblings in the DCBS office, unless the court has ordered supervised visits.

Visitation

1. ​The SSW, SSA, or contracted agency staff (when applicable) will supervise visits, however, in some special case-appropriate situations the foster/adoptive parent(s), relative(s), or other persons deemed appropriate may supervise visits, upon approval by the FSOS or designee.
   
2. Before every visitation, all participants must wash their hands with soap and water to reduce any accidental exposure or illness. Research from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that hand sanitizer is not recommended for this purpose.  
   
1. ​Should a participant refuse to wash their hands, it should be documented in the case record by the SSW or designee.  
   

The SSW or designee:

1. Uses the Visitation Checklist/Summary to document observations, behaviors, and required interventions during the supervised visit; 
2. Uses the developmentally age-appropriate activities chart found on the OOHC Visitation Tip Sheet to assist and guide the parent(s) in thinking about developmentally age-appropriate activities that the child will enjoy and promote healthy attachment; 
3. Encourages the parent(s) to attend medical appointments, school conferences, and other activities in which the child is involved; 
4. Documents each visit in the service recording, including observations of parent-child interactions before, during, and after the visit, when it is supervised; 
5. Documents the child’s behavior before and after visits, as well as the caregiver’s observations; 
   
6. Documents a visit that is not kept, canceled, or rescheduled;
7. Notes the change on the visitation agreement and sends the revised agreement to all parties when a visit is rescheduled (this is the duty of the SSW).

The FSOS:

1. Grants prior approval for visit cancellations, unless the parent requests cancellation of a visit, however, the FSOS may grant emergency cancellation and or rescheduling for: 1 
1. Illness; 
2. Inclement weather; or 
3. Other unforeseeable emergencies.

The SSW:

1. Occasionally observes visits if visits are not normally supervised; 
2. Seeks prior written approval from the SRA or designee to suspend a visit if there exists reasonable cause to believe that visitation between a child and a parent or sibling is detrimental to the child’s health, welfare, or physical or emotional condition; 
3. Documents the circumstances regarding any suspension, including: 
1. The person(s) involved; 
   
2. Their relationship to the child; 
   
3. The reason for the suspension; and 
4. The length of the suspension.