Family reunification may occur at any time in the life of a case, but research shows that, if reunification has not occurred within six months of temporary custody, the likelihood of it significantly decreases. Research also indicates that the single most significant factor in achieving family reunification is the occurrence of parent/children visits. In addition, sibling relationships typically are the longest lasting of all birth family relationships and can provide long-term connections to a child’s personal history and self-identity, whether or not reunification takes place.

Through visits, children can be reassured that: 

• They still are loved and lovable and have not been forgotten. 
• Their parents are all right. 
• Their parents give permission for them to stay with foster or relative caregivers until reunification. 
• Their parents and the child welfare team are working together for reunification.

Visits assure parents that: 

• They still are loved and lovable and have not been forgotten. 
• Their children are being cared for adequately. 
• Their commitment to their children is valued. 
• Their children have not forgotten them, that they are still a meaningful part of their children’s world. 
• They will be kept informed of their children’s growth and development. 
• They can be assisted in more skillfully parenting their children.

Visits are important. They are: 

• A right for the child to become or remain connected to family, community, and culture. 
• A right for parents to remain connected to the children. 
• A responsibility for parents, child welfare professionals, and agencies to maintain or improve the parent/child relationship and for parents to actively express their desires and intents to have their children returned to them. 
• An opportunity for all members of the child welfare team to meet children’s need for connection to their past history and for resolving issues related to children’s need for permanency. 
• Viewed by the court as an indicator of parent’s commitment to the child.

If permanency goals are reunification and there are no issues related to visits and safety, parents have the right to: 

• Visits within ten days after the children have been removed from the home. 
• Visiting plans that encourage visits with the children. 
• Help in developing visitation plans if specified in their service plans. 
• See their children every week. 
• Visits in their home. 
• Extend length of visit over time. 
• Appeal the caseworker’s decision on visiting plans.

Visits are essentially for the benefit of the children. They are therapeutic as feelings stimulated in children by visits support their ability to grieve. In fact, children’s reactions to visits indicate where they are in the grieving process. Visits can help children substitute reality for “magical thinking” about the reasons for their separation from parents and the likelihood of reunification. Visits can also help children separate from parents and move on to establish relationships with new, permanent families.

Caseworkers can support visitation: 

• Develop and enhance their relationship with parents by actively affirming the parents’ rights and desires to be adequate parents.  
• Provide direct, therapeutic input in parent/child relationships. 
• Obtain data upon which to base decisions regarding the selection and implementation of permanency goals.

Foster and relative caregivers can support visits: 

• Keep in touch with changes in the family’s situation as they pertain to permanency goals for the children. 
• Better understand the children’s relationships with their parents. 
• Better support the children’s attempts to understand their situation. 
• Develop more effective working relationships with parents. 
• Find opportunities for coaching or mentoring parents.

When visits do not work out, the effects can be harmful to children and the child welfare team is faced with the challenges of helping children manage the damaging effects. Effective planning, preparation, and implementation of visits result in visits that will have the optimum chance of meeting their purpose.

Planning, Preparation, and Implementation of Visits 

Observation of parent/child interaction and assisting parents in enhancing the parent/child relationship is the purpose of visitation. Conducting other case-related business, such as making future appointments or discussing progress or lack of progress, should not take place during the children’s time with parents.

Planning

• Locations 
• Time and length 
• Frequency
• Whether they will be supervised or unsupervised

Preparation

• All those involved understand the purpose for the visits. 
• All those involved understand the arrangements for the visits. 
• Children need to be prepared for parents’ reactions to visits. If parents often fail to attend, become emotional, or there are safety concerns, possible reactions should be discussed with the children.
• Children need to be prepared for their feelings and reactions to visits. 
• Feelings can range from guilt, grief, anger, or euphoria and can be unpredictable. 
• Foster and relative caregivers need to be prepared that some emotional reaction to visits is normal for children.

Implementation

• Make referrals for additional services if parenting skills cannot support effective visits. 
• Find the most comfortable locations possible. 
• Provide ample time before terminating visits so parents and children have time to say goodbye.
• After saying goodbye, remove the children as quickly and calmly as possible. 
• Notice the children’s cues following visits. Some children want to be left alone; others want to be with someone. Many children need to sleep.
• Tell the child that all children have feelings following visits and give the child permission to express those feelings. 
• Refrain from extensive questioning of children about the visits. 
• Do not force children to eat or drink. 
• Do not push children to be affectionate or force affection from children. 
• State to both parents and children as specifically as possible when the next visit will be.