Our House Visitation

Hours:
Tuesday through Thursday
9:00AM -8:00PM
Friday and Saturday
9:00AM -5:00PM
Closed Sunday and Monday

OUR House is a safe, warm and friendly place, where children can have supervised weekly visits with their estranged parents in a home-like environment.  The program provides a total of eight sessions scheduled once a week for 1 1/2 hours each.  Participation in a 1-hour assessment is required in advance of sessions being scheduled.

Supervised visitation, therapeutic visitation and safe exchange monitoring are available by appointment Tuesday through Saturday, days and evenings. A safe, nurturing environment is provided for children to visit with their non-custodial parents in the presence of an observer. In cases of unsupervised visits, an observer is provided to ensure the safe exchange of the child from one parent to another. Therapeutic visitation is also provided. A lisenced practitioner supervises the therapeutic visitation and provides direction, coaching and then feedback to the parent regarding the parent/child interactions. At the conclusion of the services, a report is furnished to the Court or the Department of Children and Families containing the observations of the visits or safe exchange for use in making visitation or placement decisions. Referrals must be made via the Courts, the Department of Children and Families or, in cases where a child has been removed, BSO must set visitation within 72 hours of the removal, unless visitation is denied at the Detention Hearing. Volunteer opportunities are available.

Exchange monitoring of children may also be provided for those who are currently receiving unsupervised visits off premises.

Who Uses OUR House?
OUR House families are referred by the Court or Department of Children and Families. Families are referred for supervised visitations and/or safe exchanges while usually receiving other interventions elsewhere (e.g. Anger Management Classes, Parenting Program, Family Therapy).

What Are Supervised Visits?
Families who need minimal direction and oversight to positively interact with their children can be referred for a series of eight weekly supervised visitations (1.5 hours each). The role of the monitor is to ensure the safety with the OUR House guidelines. Prior to the start of visitation services, the visiting parent and custodial parent  will undergo an assessment with the OUR House Program Coordinator.

What are Exchange Monitorings?
Families in which there is fear of harm to a parent and/or concerns regarding antagonistic or inappropriate behaviors by a parent, should they have contact, can be referred for a series of eight weekly safe exchanges. Safe exchanges are for a total of one half hour (0.5 hours) for an exchange of the child(ren) between the custodian and non-custodian at the beginning (15 minutes) and the end (15 minutes) of the unsupervised visits. Prior to the start of safe exchange services the visiting parent and custodial parent will undergo an assessment with the OUR House Program Coordinator.

What is Therapeutic Visitation?
Families with complex issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, and mental health issues can be referred for series of eight weekly guided visitations (1.5 hours each) by a licensed mental health professional. The Guided Visitation includes therapeutic feedback, parenting skills intervention and coaching. During each visitation, the non-custodial parent is provided guidance, support, feedback, and strategies regarding their interactions with their child(ren), as well as a feedback session with the visitation monitor following each session. Prior to the start of visitation services, the visiting parent will undergo a clinical assessment to include a pre-test (AAPI-2) with the monitor. As guided visitation progresses the Monitor will be able to evaluate the parent's ability to implement parent training concepts and assess the improvement in the parent-child interactions. At the completion of the eight week visitation service, the monitor completes a detailed evaluative report which includes pre/post test results, professional opinions and recommendations.

How Much Does This Cost?
There is no fee for OUR House services; however, a referral from the Court or Department of Children and Families or ChildNetis required. These services are provided through the collaborative efforts of the Broward County Board of Commissioners, Broward County Children's Services Council and the Department of Children and Families.