Creating and rebuilding a healthy, nurturing environment is essential for families after a child has been placed outside of the home. Supervised visitation services give families a chance to develop positive parent-child interactions. From therapeutic to intensive, Oaks Integrated Care offers families supervised visitation services with the ultimate goal of reunification.
Services include case management, weekly supervised visits and parenting groups based on the Nurturing Parenting Program curriculum. The evidence-based curriculum takes a trauma-informed approach designed to build nurturing parenting skills and stop the cycle of abuse and neglect. The family-centered program helps families like Jerry’s work together toward reunification.
Jerry’s Story
As a veteran and single father of three children, Jerry struggled with many challenges due to unaddressed mental health needs and economic insecurity from unemployment. His family faced unsafe living conditions, food insecurity and overall difficulty with day-to-day living. This eventually led to the removal of the children from the home and the need for intensive supportive services. The family was referred to Oaks Intensive Supervised Visitation Program to help them with reunification.
Jerry’s Case Manager, Jessica Myles, immediately partnered with him and DCP&P to create a plan for services. Together, they set their sights on parenting skills and addressing the barriers to financial security. “We focused the visitations around age-appropriate discipline for his three children and how to utilize and encourage appropriate communication for the family,” shares Myles. In three months, Jerry demonstrated improved communication and parenting practices in his weekly visits with his children.
Making progress toward financial security proved to be more challenging. As the New Jersey eviction moratorium was coming to a close, Jerry received an eviction notice. There were multiple health scares for him as well as his children as they each contracted COVID-19. And, the family car was totaled while parked outside of their home.
Through a combination of support and linking the family to resources, the family achieved their goals one by one. Working with We Soldier On, enabled them to remain housed, while the need to quarantine with his children provided an opportunity for Jerry to demonstrate his ability to safely care for his children. Prior to full reunification, he received an offer of employment in Texas, presenting him with an opportunity to provide his family with financial security as well as the support of family and friends already living there.
With perseverance, commitment and the continued support from the Intensive Supervised Visitation Program, Jerry reunited with his children in April of 2022 and began a new chapter of life together. Looking back, Myles explains, “The most rewarding part about working with the family was reunification, as that was what we all were dedicated to since the beginning. Jerry was open to different parenting techniques and made such a turnaround.” Since reunification, the family has moved into a 3-bedroom home and Jerry continues to make positive strides toward financial stability.
To learn more about supervised visitation or additional programs for children and families, call our Access Center at 1-800-963-3377 or fill out our contact form.
