Programa de acceso y visitas

The Access & Visitation (AV) Program is a resource for non-custodial parents who seek access to and visitation with their children. Coordinators help identify the underlying issues creating any barriers to parenting time and facilitate non-custodial parents’ access to their children. They are available on site in five counties to provide counseling, parent education, and legal information about the court process as well as make referrals to community services. Parents outside those counties may receive services by phone, email, or Webex by contacting the coordinator designated to that region as indicated below.

AV coordinators accept and actively seek referrals from child support enforcement courts, family court judges, child support enforcement agents, attorneys, human service providers and other sources. The access and visitation coordinators perform individual case management and work to develop and maintain an active presence in the community to inform the public, social service agencies and organizations about the services offered to parents by the Access & Visitation Program. AV coordinators also identify needed services that are not offered in the community and work with local agencies and organizations to seek funding and implement these additional services, such as mentoring programs for fathers and supervised visitation and exchange centers.

AV Program Goals

• Identify underlying issues creating any barriers to non-custodial parents spending time (visiting) with their child(ren)
• To support and facilitate non-custodial parents' access to their child(ren)

AV coordinators provide:

• Counseling
• Parent education
• Legal information about the court process
• Co-parenting resources
• Information about mediation services (private or through the court-ordered Child Custody and Visitation Mediation Program)

The AV coordinator will assess the parent's needs and link the parent to services in the community, such as:

• Housing
• Health care
• Financial assistance
• Mediation
• Parenting classes
• Support groups
• Job counseling

Non-custodial parents, both mothers and fathers, who are experiencing barriers in gaining access to and visitation with their children.

This includes married and unmarried non-custodial parents who do not have existing court orders for visitation, custody, or child support as well as parents who do have orders for:

• Existing visitation and custody from the court
• Child support established by and from the Department of Social Services
• Private child support

The program emphasizes that both parents should have an active role in their children's lives.

Parent education programs make divorcing parents or parents living in separate homes aware of the needs of their children during and after the separation process. Court-sponsored parent education programs incorporate a video entitled The Most Important Job (Spanish version) that provides guidance for parents from professionals as well as from the child's perspective.

Parent Education Program

Five Access & Visitation Coordinators are physically located in Family Court offices. They are available to answer questions from non-custodial parents from all counties in their assigned region.

Do you have a question or concern about the Access and Visitation Program?

Find contact numbers listed above by county, or view the access and visitation coordinators.