Child Access Centers

What is a Transfer?

When parents appear before a judge, there is often a disagreement between the parents as to who has seen the child and when. “CRC Safe Haven transfers eliminate the ‘he said/she said’ arguments that poison the courts,” said Family Division Master Sherman West (Ret.) of Prince George’s County, Maryland.

When a parent needs to exchange their child with the other parent they can meet at a Safe Haven Center, which provides a neutral and safe environment for pick-up and drop-off. Transfers of children are documented by trained access staff who share information and support.

“We look upon these transfers as transitional parenting until parents can learn to transfer their children at their own home without our help. At these centers, parents learn to focus on their children, not on their own parental arguments with each other,“ states Al Ellis, Director of Access Services, CRC.

What is Supervised Access (Visitation)?

Family violence, substance abuse, fear of parental kidnapping, or re-entry of a parent into a child’s life after a long absence are some of the reasons for supervised access. With supervised access a parent is not allowed to leave the premises with the child, but the child and the parent spend valuable time with each other in a safe and supervised setting. To ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for parents and children, a higher degree of security, greater resources, and staff training are dedicated to supervised access (visitation).

Each year there are an estimated two million marriages and one million divorces. This affects about one million children, while another million babies are born to unwed parents. Unfortunately, these children — the future of our society – are at great risk to abuse drugs and alcohol, drop out of school, be sent to prison, suffer abuse, and often need economic assistance to meet their most basic needs. It should not be surprising that 85% of the men in prison today come from fatherless homes. Teenage girls who grow up with single parents are also more likely to engage in promiscuous sex or turn to prostitution.

CRC works for all children and parents. This is why we advocate to amend our national social policy and state statutes to reflect sensitive family and child custody laws. One way we have made important change is working with the courts to offer Safe Haven Access Centers. Instead of one parent and the “winner takes all” doctrine of the past, we believe in “shared parenting” that offers proper access and visitation to both parents; even if that access must be supervised. In situations where parents have a history of high conflict, CRC can still arrange for free, neutral drop-off and pick-up programs or offer convenient and continuous supervised access (visitation) time.

CRC works to assure that children enjoy frequent and continuing contact with both parents, as well as contact with extended family that the child would normally have under any successful, loving parental relationship. We work to strengthen families through skills and behaviors that support family formation and preservation. CRC is genderless; we are neither a women's nor a men's group. Rather, we advocate what we believe to be in the best interests of children, including the Children's Bill of Rights.

For every child's benefit, CRC:

• Advocates a respectable, well thought out belief about shared parenting in divorce custody orders.
• Believes in balanced and comprehensive child support: financial, physical, and emotional.
• Works to transform the typical strained and heated divorce process into one of resolution, understanding, and mediation.
• Favors parenting education, and school-based programs for children at-risk.
• Believes that for children, two parents and the kinship network are the best first line of defense to promote healthy development and attain a sense of wellbeing.

Purpose and Benefits of Access

• Improves the quality of parenting time.
• Assures the child of continuing contact with both parents.
• Reduces hostility and confrontation among family members.
• Increases child support compliance.
• Reduces courtroom time for parents.

Who uses CRC Safe Havens?

• 40 percent are unmarried parents.
• 35 percent are mothers who do not have primary care of their children.
• Grandparents, and other family members, also benefit by using Safe Havens for safe, neutral and supportive parenting/family time.

Why Use CRC Safe Havens?

• Usually, no cost to families.
• Accountability to the courts.
• Trained monitors understand rigorous demands of parenting.
• A warm, friendly, safe environment.
• Locations generally in church meeting rooms or day care centers.

CRC Requirements

• Orderly and timely arrival and departure.
• Agree to abide by CRC operational guidelines.
• Demonstrate responsibility, care and tact.
• Express love and support for the children.
• Convey a courteous and respectful manner.

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