There are currently more than 700 children in the Washington State Foster Care system. When a child is removed from their family home, most often because they faced imminent danger, parents can work to reunite their family through an action plan defined by the court system. This may include interventions such as parenting classes, anger management, or substance abuse treatment.
Supervised Visitation is a program that allows children to spend time with their families while in foster care or out-of-home placement. A Community Support Specialist ensures the child’s safety at each visit and provides neutral documentation of the family interactions to the child’s social worker. Innovative Services NW, the largest provider of Supervised Visitation in Clark County, provided a safe space for more than 500 foster children to visit with their families over the last fiscal year.
Jill (name changed to protect anonymity), a mother who struggled with substance abuse issues, had her children removed and placed in foster care. While participating in substance abuse treatment, Jill came to Innovative for visits with her children. Jill was successful in treatment, had positive supervision reports, and maintained employment and housing. After nine months, her children were returned to her. Jill and her family are doing well one year later. The kids are safe and happy and Jill is maintaining her healthy lifestyle; grateful for the return of her children.
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