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Organization : Exchange Club CASTLE Program: Valued Visits Funder: Children 's Services Advisory Committee RFP# 7052 C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (Entire Section C, I — 6, not to exceed two pages) EFocus st Priority Needs area addressed. Area 11 : Parental Support and Education 2. Briefly describe program activities including location of services. The purpose of Valued Visits is to provide a location for visiting parents to meet with their children in a safe, supervised manner. The participants in the program are referred by the courts due to contentious divorces or domestic violence, or by the Department of Children and Families because of the risk of child abuse or neglect . All referred families are screened for the appropriateness of Valued Visits, and given a date for a program orientation. Both parents and/or caretakers must complete orientation. Following successful completion of orientation, families are given a visitation schedule . The hour and date agreed upon for the family will be consistent on a weekly basis, until such time as visits are no longer needed. The visits occur in a recreation room type setting, to enhance the programs attractiveness to children, and to ensure a comfortable setting that encourages a positive, interactive visit. Age appropriate games and activities are provided for children from ages 0- 18 . Valued Visits is open for visits on Thursday and Friday evenings from 5 : 30 to 8 : 30pm, on Saturdays, from 8 : 30 to 1 : 30pm, and on Sunday from 2 : 00pm to 6 : OOpm each week. We are fortunate to have volunteers (Junior League members) to help monitor visits . The volunteers augment paid staff, and allow the program to increase its capacity. This year we will expand by offering a weekday afternoon session of visits . The services offered at Valued Visits include : Monitored Exchange — Supervised exchange of children between the residential and non- residential parent . Supervised Visitation — Supervised visits between a non-residential parent and a child. The visit is observed at all times by a monitor. The visit occurs on- site, at Valued Visits, and follows strict guidelines as to what can be said and done during the visit. Unless rules are violated, the monitor does not interact with the parent or child. Therapeutic Supervision — Supervised visits between the non-residential parent and a child. In this case, the visit monitor is a licensed mental health counselor, and takes an active role in the visit, working with the parent and child to improve the relationship . Parenting Classes — Non-residential parents are offered parent education classes before and after each visit. Services are provided at the CASTLE office at 1275 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach, F describe how your program intends to address the stated need/problem. e how your program follows a recognized " best practice" (see definition on page e instructions) and provide evidence that indicates proposed strategies are e with target population . The stated need or problem is unsupervised visits or contact between a child and a parent that puts that child at risk. Valued Visits addresses this need by offering a safe, enriched setting in which to supervise this contact. Valued Visits also fosters boundary and limit setting, holds parents accountable for their behavior, and enrolls non-residential parents in a parenting education class . In some cases, therapeutic intervention is offered when ordered by the court. 6