When Parents and Systems Cause Harm- Healing Parent-Child Relationships in Therapeutic Supervised Visitation (May 20, 2022)

Families are often ordered for Therapeutic Supervised Visitation (TSV) due to histories of child abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. These histories of harm have a direct impact on the child's relationship with both visiting and custodial parents. Due to systemic racial bias, families of color represent a disproportionate number of families mandated for supervised visitation. The structure of TSV programs presents a unique opportunity to engage the whole family (visiting parents, custodial parents, and children) in addressing the impact of the harm caused by parents, as well as the impact of harm caused by systemic racial bias. Attendees will learn about the potential impact of child abuse, neglect and domestic violence on the parent-child relationship and the essential role parent accountability plays in healing for child survivors as well as for parents who have caused harm. Attendees will also learn about the potential impact of systemic racial bias on parent-child relationships in families of color mandated to supervised visitation. Through a trauma-informed, child-focused, strengths-based, and racial justice lens, attendees will learn concrete strategies for supporting parent accountability, system accountability, and family healing.