A Project of the Nashua Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center began as a project of the Nashua Domestic Violence Coordinating Council in 1999 and formally opened as part of Community Council of Nashua in January 2003. Funded primarily by private and federal grants, the GNSVC provides fully supervised visits, partially supervised visits, supervised exchanges and consultation services.
The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center is committed to enhancing the safety of victims of domestic violence. With victim's safety as our main priority, our Visitation Center provides a neutral setting for children to maintain and/or build healthy relationships with their non-custodial parent. A friendly and nurturing atmosphere has been created to promote the physical, emotional and social well being of all individuals using its services.
Location
The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center is a program of the Community Council of Nashua and is located at 15 Prospect Street, Nashua, NH. During week days, please call (603) 889-6147 ext. 3497. The Visitation Center may be reached by calling (603) 598-7123 ext. 3497 evenings and weekends. Our fax number is (603) 594-9649.
Referrals
We accept referrals primarily from the Courts, attorneys and guardians ad litem. We offer consultation services for DCYF, therapists and other agencies to determine the appropriateness of our services.
Please contact Colleen Hood, Coordinator of the Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center, to schedule an orientation appointment and/or consultation.
Safety
To enhance the safety of all visitation center participants and staff, the guidelines must be followed. The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center cannot guarantee the safety of an individual. However, we do make it the first priority when conducting a visit. Our safety mechanisms include:
- Separate parking areas
- Separate entrances and exits
- Separate waiting areas
- Qualified visitation center staff and security on site during visits
- Established protocol with the local police for crisis situations
- A ZERO tolerance approach for Domestic Violence of any kind
Description of Services
The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center offers an alternative to unsupervised visits and exchanges. The Visitation Center offers a warm, friendly atmosphere where children may visit with their non-custodial parent. The Visitation Center was created to help families that are experiencing difficulty interacting in a non-threatening, appropriate manner. In order to participate in visitation, both parents must agree to abide by the policies set forth by the Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center.
In order to provide services as quickly as possible, the Visitation Center requests that the referring agency provide information in regards to the frequency of visitation, the type of service requested and the financially responsible party. The Visitation Center will make every effort to accommodate both parties, but the day and time of the visit is subject to the Visitation Center schedule. Most on-site visits last one hour and occur once a week. This allows the Visitation Center to serve as many families as possible and meet the needs of the community.
Our center will not render opinions or recommendations to the court concerning parental rights, qualifications or the quality of a visit. The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center offers the following services:
- Fully Supervised Visits: Visits are held at the Visitation Center and are constantly monitored by staff who watch and listen during the entire visit. The visitation supervisor documents observations, offers assistance as needed to ensure appropriate parent/child interactions.
- Semi-Supervised Visits: Visits are held at the Visitation Center. The Visitation Center supervisor will periodically monitor the visit, documents observations, and offers assistance as needed to ensure appropriate parent/child interactions.
- Supervised Exchanges: Visits are not held at the Visitation Center. The custodial parent/guardian brings the child to the visitation center. The visiting parent, using different parking and entrance areas from the custodial parent, picks up the child and returns him/her to the center at the specified time. The exchange is monitored by a Visitation Center staff member.
- Consultations: Parents, attorneys, therapists, DCYF staff, or representatives from other agencies may request consultation with a visitation specialist to discuss how the Visitation Center can best serve a particular family.
If the non-custodial parent requests that a third party participate in the visits, a court order must be obtained permitting this, or it must be by agreement of the Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center and the custodial parent.
Cost of Services
A sliding fee scale based on income is available to all participants. Court ordered families are assigned payment responsibility by the Court. Other referring agencies will indicate who will be responsible for payment in writing. Services cannot be provided until it is determined who is the financially responsible party. The Visitation Center requires the financially responsible party to make a deposit in the amount of one visit at the time visitation has been scheduled. If a zero balance is maintained through to the last visit, the deposit will be returned. Thereafter, payment is due at check-in. Minimal fees may also be charged for collateral contact, such as criminal checks, consultation with attorneys, therapists, or guardians ad litem. During the orientation, we will explain our sliding fee scale and fee agreement forms.
Staffing
The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center is a program of the Community Council of Nashua. The visitation staff is trained to monitor and appropriately intervene during visits. Their primary concern is the safety and well being of everyone using the Visitation Center.
All Visitation Center staff is required to participate in ongoing specialized training to supervise visits. The training prepares individuals to directly support children, custodial and non-custodial parents, in a safe and positive family visit. The training in focused on understanding aspects of family violence, facilitating parent/child visits, child development, the philosophy and history of visitation centers, the importance of safety as a focal point, objective note taking, the impact of substance abuse on visitation, legal and ethical concerns, and how to work with children who have witnessed domestic violence.
Funding
This project was supported by Grant No. 2002-CW-BX-0006 awarded by the Violence Against Women Grants Office, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This project was also supported by the NRCF Community Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation √ Greater Nashua Division, as well as other community grants.