The Family Room Supervised Visitation & Monitored Exchange Center provides a safe, positive environment for children to exercise their right to the best possible relationship with both parents.

Priorities

  • Keep everyone safe
  • Make decisions based on the children’s best interests
  • Hold people accountable for abusive or otherwise harmful behaviors

About The Family Room

The Family Room offers child-centered support for parents seeking to establish or rebuild relationships with their children. We serve Caledonia, Orleans and Essex counties at our sites in St. Johnsbury and Newport.

Monitors

Staff and volunteer monitors at the Family Room are trained and must participate in significant ongoing education every year in the knowledge areas of child development, conflict resolution, separation and divorce issues, child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence and stalking, mental health and substance dependency.

Advisory Committee

The Family Room is advised by a group of committee members with relevant experience or knowledge to ensure that our policies and practices best respond to the needs of our community. Members include child protection staff, court staff, parents, law enforcement, guardians ad litem, advocates and batterer intervention program facilitators.

Other Services

The Family Room can provide additional services, such as Parent Education and Therapeutic Supervision, upon request and for additional fees.

 

Supervised Visitation

When supervised visitation is ordered by the court, or for self-referrals, is agreed upon by both parties, the visiting parent and his or her child remain at the Center for the entire duration of each visit. A staff monitor will observe each visit without being intrusive, unless there are reasons of concern for the child, or anyone else at the Center.  For established families, The Family Room does offer some community visits, pending monitor availability (please contact a staff member to receive the guidelines for determining when a family is considered established).  
Unless otherwise indicated, the court will determine the length of time that supervised visitation is needed.

Family SceneMonitored Exchanges

In cases where there is concern about the safety of a child or parent during the exchange of children, The Family Room can assist families by having a staff member present during the exchanges to ensure that there is no direct contact between the parents and to alleviate concerns. 

Referrals

The Family Room is linked to many other community organizations in the Northeast Kingdom.  We can refer you to resources for:  parenting, developmental, health and/or  educational concerns of children, child care, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking; mental health; housing; safety planning; chemical dependency; adult education and much more.

Fees

The Family Room charges fees for conducting an intake, supervising a visit, monitoring an exchange, or providing parent education or therapeutic supervision. Unless there is a court order instructing otherwise, the visiting parent will pay the cost of the service, with the exception of the intake fee due from each parent. A complete list of the center’s fees is available by contacting us, or on our website at familyroom@umbrellanek.org

We strive to keep services affordable by utilizing a sliding fee scale. 

If a court has ordered your family to use our center for supervised visitation or monitored exchanges- it is each participating adult’s responsibility to contact The Family Room to arrange the opportunity for an Intake and Orientation, which essentially is a time to fill out paperwork, engage in an interview and become familiar with the Center.