How to Help a Foster Child With Parent Visitation
Visitation between a child and his parents is very important. It allows them to talk about their feelings, try to re-connect and build trust. Visits matter to children because they help ease some fears and make them understand the situations. For birth parents, visits are a chance to face reality and put to use some new skills and communication techniques. Successful visits often lead to less time in foster care.
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Instructions
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Schedule the first visitation as soon as possible. Some evidence suggests that the sooner a visit is set up after placement, the more successful foster care is. Also, it reduces the child's feeling of abandonment.
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Set up a written visitation schedule. This should be done in conjunction with the child's social worker. A regular schedule encourages parents to stick to it and often leads to more frequent visits.
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Sit down with your foster child and talk about his concerns. There could be a lot of ill feelings about the separation from his parents. Make sure he knows you're on his side and there to support him.
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Come up with a plan. Work with the social worker on activities that the birth parent and child can do together, depending on the parents' strengths. All of this should be planned in advance.
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Arrange transportation. If your foster child doesn't feel comfortable with his social worker, drive him yourself.
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Talk about the visitation afterward. Show your interest and listen. Offer your shoulder for support.
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Tips & Warnings
Schedule visitation as often as possible. Studies show frequent visits gives foster children a better perception of their parents and helps them adapt better to foster care.
Don't overestimate parents' abilities to communicate with their children.
Don't wait too long for the first parent/child visit. This could take an emotional toll on the child.
Don't use parental visits as a reward or punishment.
