Assessing Child Visitation

Resources on using visits to assess the quality of the parent-child relationship and the family's progress.

Child and Family Visitation Best Practice Guide (PDF - 787 KB)
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (2015)
Offers information on the guiding philosophy, research findings, and benefits of parent-child visitation. This guide also provides information and tools for assessing and planning the visitation process.

Enhancing Visitation for Children and Families
Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, Office of Children & Families in the Courts
Provides information approved by the Pennsylvania State Roundtable that has assisted Pennsylvania counties in evaluating guidelines for visitation. It also highlights tools for enhancing visitation and tool specifically for parents, teenagers, and children.

Family Time Visitation in the Child Welfare System (PDF - 456 KB)
Partners for Our Children (2014)
Discusses the ways consistent visitation between parents and their children can mitigate the effects of trauma and strengthen family relationships.

Family Visitation: Key to Safe Reunification for Children in Foster Care (PDF - 1,260 KB)
Advocates for Children of New Jersey (2014)
Analyzes the frequency of parent-child visits in the New Jersey child welfare system. This resource offers an analysis of why parents may not be able to keep their appointments.

Parent-Child Supervised Visitation Within Child Welfare and Custody Dispute Contexts: An Exploratory Comparison of Two Distinct Models of Practice
Saini, Van Wert, & Gofman (2012)
Children and Youth Services Review, 34(1)
Presents a legal analysis and social science review of the duties and expectations of supervised parent-child visitations within the contexts of child welfare and custody disputes.

Topical Brief: Best Practices for Parent-Child Visitation (PDF - 820 KB)
Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Office of Innovation, Alignment, and Accountability (2020)
Reviews ways to work in collaboration with providers to further learning and analyze strategies that support family connection. Further recognizing parent-child visitation best practices.