When a child is placed in out-of-home care and the family is receiving Family Reunification services, visitation is always a part of the case plan and court orders. The Department of Family and Children's Services provides several venues for supervised visits between dependent children and their parents and/or significant others, when the family is receiving Family Reunification services.  Possibilities for supervised visits other than at DFCS visitation sites include parks, restaurants, relative homes, and community centers.

The social worker is responsible for scheduling and supervising, or providing alternate supervision, for visits between parents and children that the Court has ordered to be supervised.

• Clover House Visitation Center

2248 North First Street

San Jose, CA 95131

Hours of operation: Mon. - Fri - 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

• DFCS Family Resource Centers
  • Family Resource Center

  591 N King Road
  San Jose, CA 95133

  Visitation Hours: Mon.- Fri. - 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  
  

  • Gilroy Family Resource Center

  8833 Monterey Road
  Gilroy, CA 95020

  Visitation Hours: Mon.- Fri. - 8 am - 8 pm
  
  
  

• Receiving Assessment Intake Center

3325 Union Ave.

San Jose, CA  95124

Visitation Hours: Mon. - Fri. - 8 am - 9 pm

                          Sat. and Sun. by arrangedment with Assessment Center staff.

If the social worker has arranged for another individual to supervise family visits at a DFCS visitation site, prior to a starting visits, the social worker observes several visits to assess the child/parent interaction.  

• Families in which the parents are assessed to have a higher level of parenting skills and in which the children are observed be comfortable and have a healthy bond with the parents may continue to be scheduled at Clover House.
  
  
• Families in which it is assessed that the parents could use assistance to enhance the visitation experience may be scheduled for interactive or therapeutic visits at Kindred Souls Visiting Center. 
  • These parents may benefit from getting direction, for example, on engaging their child in age-appropriate play, setting limits, bringing snack that are nourishing or communicating with their child.
  • Use the Intensive Intervention Visitation Referral (SCZ 77) to refer families to Kindred Souls Visiting Center.
    
    
• It is DFCS policy that social workers reassess the visitation plan every three (3) months.  Part of the reassessment includes supervising a visit. 
  • See OPP Chapter 10-5: Visitation Protocol.

Prior to submitting a referral for supervised visits, the social worker must supervise one (1) or more visits to determine the appropriate level of visitation, venue, and supervisor.  To schedule a room for supervised visitation at one of the DFCS visitation sites, the social worker:

• Coordinates visitation plans with birth parents and the child(ren)'s caregiver.
  
  
• Reviews the Visitation Guidelines (SCZ1328A) with the parents(s) or person visiting and the person(s) supervising the visitation.
  
  
• Has the parent or visitor sign a copy of the Visitation Guidelines.
  
  
• Give the parent or visitor a copy of the signed guidelines.
  • Keep the signed guidelines with the boringly signature in the case file.
    
    
• Call the DFCS visitation site contact to set up the scheduled for visitation.
  
  
• Complete the Supervised Visitation Authorization (SCZ1328).
  
  
• Fax the SCZ1328 to the visitation site contact within one business day.
  
  
• Facilitate the first visit with the parents/visitor and person who will provide the ongoing supervision, if that person has not previously met the family.

It is the social worker's responsibility to assure that everyone who is part of the visit understands the policy and procedures.  Clerical staff at the visitation site are not responsible for any part of the actual visit. 

• All parties arrive at the visitation site and sign in.
  • All parties enter each of the sites through the main door.
    
    
• The person supervising the visit confirms the assigned room with the staff person on duty at the site.
  
  
• The social worker ensures that visitation guidelines are followed, including starting and ending the visit on time and cleaning up the visitation room ten minutes before the end of the visit.
  

The child's social worker is responsible for contacting the visitation site staff contact to discuss changes to the information provided on the Visitor Authorization Form (CZ1382), such as a change of visitors, alerts, safety or security issues, a change of a child's placement, etc.  Contact by telephone is sufficient for notification of most changes.

Social workers are responsible for assessing the risk to all participants in a supervised setting, especially in domestic violence cases.  If the social worker assesses that the case is a high security risk, the worker makes arrangements for visits to be held at the DFCS Julian Campus where security is present.  The person supervising a visit must immediately contact the San Jose Police Department (SJPD) emergency 911, if any participant is at risk of being harmed. 

• All Family Reunification cases involving domestic violence require arrangements for separate visitation services, with each parent scheduled for visits at different times. 
  
• Supervised visits determined to  be high risk require security settings.  These visits may be held at the Department of Family and Children's Services, 373 W. Julian Observation Rooms.