Speak to your children in a positive manner about the upcoming visit. 

Confirm your attendance prior to the visit.

We know starting visits can bring about all sorts of emotions. Try to think about things that help you stay calm. For example, deep breathing, music, exercise.

Make sure you know where to go and plan and how to get there.

Make sure you know where we are located and how you will be getting here.

Consider traffic and other delays that may present themselves which may lead you to leave earlier.

If you are dropping children off for their visit, think about what you can do during that time. If you are feeling overwhelmed, it can help to keep busy.

Plan and prepare what to take with you: favourite books and toys, food, drinks, sunscreen, nappies, hats etc.

If you are dropping off the children please avoid the area where the visit is taking place unless you have prior arrangements to support your children.

As families start to build trust and feel confident that visits are progressing well or are moderate to low-risk, some families move their visits to be in the community. Other families may decide to visit each other in the community from the start.

A supervisor will support children, observe and monitor the interactions between all parties. To facilitate community visits, we assess locations for accessibility, risks and distance. We talk to the adults involved and seek their feedback about community visits.

We do not carry toys to a community visit. It is up to the visiting parent or adult to bring equipment, food, and supplies much like you would do for a day out at a picnic. You might also like to arrange to visit a place that provides entertainment. In these cases, the visiting adult will also be responsible for costs of entry including that of staff.

A supervisor will record observations which will be presented in a report. The information in the report is factual and contains details about what the supervisor observes. 

When the visit is coming to an end, the supervisor will let the visiting parent know it is time to start packing up and get ready to say goodbye.