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CAFA has provided services to survivors of Domestic Violence (DV) with an emphasis on helping them, help their children since 1994. Kids Connecting is CAFA’s Supervised Visitation program for children who are not able to visit with their parent without a third party present. CAFA’s mission is to “provide a safe place for children by equipping parents to be more successful as parents, partners and people.” Kids Connecting facilitates this mission by giving children access to both parents.

Frequently asked questions

Supervised visits will not be scheduled during a pending criminal case. No open DHS cases or cases involving a registered sex offender or open investigations of sexual offenses will be offered services through Kids Connecting.

What is Supervised Visitation?

SV is the provision of a safe, comfortable, non-threatening and conflict-free environment in which a child(ren) can spend time with their non-custodial parent while a visitation monitor is present to ensure the visit is safe and to assist in making the visit more enjoyable. We are a mental health organization and our policies reflect the child’s best interests for processing their trauma of parental absence and any abusive behaviors witnessed.

Do I need a court order to have supervised visits with CAFA?

Yes. CAFA is not part of the court system. CAFA offers a service for Supervised Visits through our Kids Connecting program. A court order is required that specifies CAFA to supervise visits with your child. We must receive a copy of your court order to ensure we are the appropriate service for you.

If I have a pending court case, can I have visits?

Court cases to address Criminal allegations must be resolved before visits can start.

How much does it cost? Who makes the payment?

$50 is charged for both intakes and the visiting parent makes this payment. Charges for supervised visits are based on a sliding fee scale determined by the visiting parent’s income.

How many hours can I visit with my kids?

Visits are scheduled for a maximum of 1 hour and 1 time a week. Some court orders are for less time, which we would follow. If your court order is for more time, we can only provide 1 hour once a week. We have a maximum limit of two years for supervised visits.

What do I have to do to get started? Can I see my kids this weekend?

We require the visiting parent to attend 4 weeks of consecutive classes for supervised visits at CAFA prior to starting visits. Classes are attended in-person by the visiting parent – Zoom attendance is not available. These classes are offered about once per quarter. Signing up early is encouraged as classes fill up quickly.

Other parenting classes are very helpful but do not fulfill the requirement for supervised visit classes.

Where are visits held? Can we go to the park?

Lane County area churches have graciously allowed us to use their facilities for supervised visits. This generosity allows us to keep costs to a minimum level. We only do visits in approved church sites in Eugene, Springfield, Veneta, and Florence. Locations are added as needed and approved.

How are visit monitors qualified to supervise visits?

Volunteer supervision monitors are trained through CAFA with about 20 hours of initial training. Ongoing training is conducted on a frequent basis.

Can family members come with me to the visits? The siblings want to come, can they?

Adults and children listed in the court order are allowed to participate with the visits. Siblings not listed in the court order are not included in the supervised visit.

How many people will be supervising the visit?

We have a ratio of 1 trained visit monitor per family member in the visit. Additional CAFA monitors are added as needed for training purposes.

Do I need to bring toys or are they provided? What kind of questions can the visiting parent ask? Can they talk about future visits and make promises about the future?

Visit sites have age appropriate toys for your child. Toys are allowed to be brought in by the child or visiting parent to enhance the connection between parent and child.

Guidelines are established and discussed at intake regarding questions and other interactions between visiting parent and child. References to past events and future plans are to be avoided.

Do both parents have to agree to use CAFA for visits?

Yes, it is in the best interest of the child for both parents to cooperate with the court order. We adhere to stipulations in Restraining Orders, Immediate Danger Orders, and Parenting Plans. Information provided by adults is kept in a confidential manner.

Does the custodial parent participate in the visits?

The custodial parent brings the child to the visit location and waits in a separate area during the visitation time. The custodial parent and visiting parent will not interact or be in the same area during the supervised visit. Arrival and departure of both parents is set at a staggered time to ensure safety of everyone.

Do you keep records of the visit and how well it went?

Logs are kept for each visit with an indication of Uneventful or Eventful (with details of guideline violations). Copies of the logs are available through the Director of Kids Connecting, Echo Lucas.

What number do I call to ask questions?

Calls should be directed to the Director of Kids Connecting, Echo Lucas,

541-349-7562 or emails sent to EchoL@CAFAweb.com. You may receive return calls from staff members to facilitate answers to your questions.

Parental Strategies for Supervised Visits

Learning Therapeutic Play

Supervised visitation can be uncomfortable. Toward the goal of making the visits more comfortable and helping the visiting parent be better equipped, he/she must take four (4) parenting classes before a visit can be scheduled. The classes for the visiting parent are free. For the current information about the day and time of the class, parents should contact the CAFA office at (541)349-7562. To be confirmed for the SV Parenting classes the noncustodial parent must provide the orders that show the requirement for visitation @ CAFA. Both the restraining order and order for supervised visitation are necessary. This can be provided via email to echol@cafaweb.com or can be brought into the office to be copied.

Why Visits Are Important

  • Child is able to maintain relationship with parent.

  • Child is able to see the parent is alright.

  • Child can see that the parent still loves him/her and wants him/her.

  • Allows child to ask questions regarding separation, may bring separation issues out in to the open.

  • Visits maintain connection between parent and child that helps child develop and maintain a sense of who the child is.

  • Visits help to see parent realistically.

  • Child has inner life in which he/she maintains a parent/child relationship.

  • Separation without visits may lead a child to idealize or devalue parents.

  • One way to connect with a person for whom we yearn is to become like that person. This may be especially pronounced in adolescence when a child is searching for identity. This may involve a child acting out or attempting to re-create family dynamics. Although separation is traumatic, it is necessary at times because of domestic violence, child abuse or other reasons.

Our job in providing supervised visits is to help make the separation less traumatic and help children build and maintain healthy relationships with very important people - their parents.

If a Child Refuses a Visit

If a child arrives at the Visitation Center and is saying that he/she does not want to visit the non-custodial parent the visitation staff will:

  • Take the child aside to speak with them.

  • Ask if they would like a shortened visit.

  • Ask if they just want to say hello to the parent.

  • Ask if they would like to write a letter or draw a picture for their parent.

  • If the child still declines all contact, the Center will log the child's response.

  • At no time will the Center ever make or pressure a child to visit with a non-custodial parent when the child refuses.

What number do I call to ask questions?

Call Kids Connecting at 541-349-7562 or email echol@cafaweb.com.

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Helpful Hints to Prepare Your Child for Visitation

Custodial Parent

  • Help the child understand that he/she has done nothing wrong and that it is not his/her fault that the supervised visitation must occur.

  • Assist your child in becoming acquainted with the surroundings at the visitation site so that he/she is comfortable with the setting before the first visit.

  • Let your child know that the staff at the visitation site is there to help them when they need assistance.

  • Make an effort to maintain a positive outlook about the visitation yourself. Children are very impressionable and they can sense how their parents are feeling. Emotions are contagious and what you are feeling will be “caught” by your child. If they feel you are comfortable with the visit they may be able to be more positive about the visitation themselves.

  • Using an age-appropriate method, explain to your child the purpose of the supervised visitations and the safety arrangements. This way, the child can feel informed and feel as though they have some control in the situation.

Non-Custodial Parent

Assist your child to be comfortable during the visitation or exchange by not pressuring the child with questioning, comments about the other parent, discussing adult issues or trying to force the child to be affectionate.

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