Fostering Family Services
Serving the community we live in
(860) 387-4170
Supervised Visitation
Supervised Visitation is a service that enables non-custodial parents to interact and spend time with their children in a safe and supervised setting. During Supervised Visitation, the child and visiting parent will be supervised at all times, meaning that the child will never be left alone with the visiting parent under any circumstances. There are cases in which the supervisor is not required to be with the child/visiting parent for the entirety of the visit. Those stipulations must be in writing and approved by the referring agency or custodial parent. Please note that supervised visits are conducted in several different venues, and venues are typically tailored to fit a child/parent’s needs. Visits can be conducted within our office visitation room. Other visits can occur in “safe” locations out in the community; some of these locations include libraries or playgrounds. A number of visits are also held at the local DCF office, and for those that are physically impaired, home visits are an option.
Parent Education (one on one)
Parent Education is a course(s) that one can take in order to educate themselves on how to become a more suitable parent. Parent Education assists parents with learning parenting skills that have the potential of changing and improving the overall wellbeing of their child. Our Parent Education course(s) covers skills and strategies that can be applied from the day a child is born until the child reaches adulthood. Our approach to Parent Education concerns educating our parents on how to properly or better handle everyday issues with their infants, toddlers, juveniles and teenagers. We also focus on the more uncommon issues that we find are more specific to each case. We offer Parent Education for expecting parents as well as individuals or couples seeking to adopt children. These courses are conducted one-on-one or in group activity. Please note that we also offer Parent Education as an on-site, as well as in-home service.
Mentoring Services
Mentoring Services are often used to help a client find promising and successful paths in life. These mentorships are tailored to the client specifically, and may change in order to satisfy a client’s needs. Mentoring can be more general or can focus on the more nuanced aspects of life including the development of life skills or social skills. This service is considered more casual and can help clients gain insight or obtain clarity on career and life paths. Mentoring can also provide them with guidance, as mentors can give advice on many of the topics the client (or mentor) finds important.
Transportation Services
School Transportation services are used to safely transport child/children to and/or from school should a parent or guardian not be able to. All drivers are required to obtain/hold a V-Endorsement issued from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Drivers are also required to be insured. While these two qualifications are essential for transportation, we also require that all drivers participate in scheduled trainings. In doing so, drivers learn how different car seats function and how to properly install them in the vehicle. Trainings are meant to help drivers retain information pertaining to a variety of car seats in order to ensure the safety of the children we transport. Our drivers are held to the highest standards, as are our vehicles. Our vehicles are clean and secure; all vehicles are equipped with child safety lock, and all safety measures are taken. Child safety is our top priority.
Temporary Care Services
Temporary Care is a short-term service that allows parents to tend to their everyday needs and errands without having to worry about the safety and well being of their child. Temporary Care staff care for the child or children for what typically is only a few hours. This service can be provided in-home, in the community, or in our office space.
Therapeutic Support Services
Therapeutic Support is a means of providing intervention to a child who is in need of it. This may be a result of emotional trauma or behavioral issues within the home. Additionally, Therapeutic Support is a preventative service that aims to adjust behavior and outlook so that the child in question does not require more restrictive services. We work closely with the child’s family in order to create and promote long-lasting solutions.
Exchange Services
Exchange services are used to transfer a child from one parent to another should the parents not want to have any contact or communication with each other. Additionally, it is used in cases where there may be a no-contact order or an order of protection present. Supervision is only present during the transportation of the child, with the remainder of parental contact with the child being unsupervised unless otherwise requested of the custodial parent.
Case Management
Case management allows a facilitator to assist clients in taking better control of their lives. We often find that many clients struggle with handling too many responsibilities. They typically do not have enough time or resources to manage them all. In case management, facilitators help plan and coordinate services required by the client. This is executed through close communication with the client, and aims to help clients help themselves.
