Family Visitation Services

The Visitation Center was created by the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg and the Children's Resource Center of Greater Harrisburg in response to a community need for a site for supervised interaction between children and their parents. The Center is committed to enhancing the safety of children while providing a friendly, nurturing environment to assist families who experience difficulty interacting in a non-threatening manner. We promote the physical, emotional and social well-being of all individuals using our services.

Services:
Monitored Exchange: The custodial parent/guardian brings the child to the center, where the visiting parent picks up and returns the child. Exchanges are monitored by staff.
Semi-Supervised Visits: The court may arrange to have visits held exclusively at the centers. Generally, the extend of supervision is limited to monitoring arrival and departure, and offering assistance as needed.
Supervised Visits: Visits are held at the centers and are closely monitored by visitation staff, who watch and listen at all times. Staff intervene when necessary to ensure appropriate parent/child interaction.

Duration of Services:
Semi-supervised and supervised visitations generally last 1-2 hours and occur 1-3 times a week. The frequency and duration of visits for any particular family may be determined by a judge, by stipulation between the parents' attorneys, parental agreement, or any other referral agency.

Cost of Services:
Visitation services are free of charge.

Referrals:
Families may be referred by guardians ad litem, courts, Children and Youth Services, or other social services agencies. Families may also self-refer.

For more information, please contact: