Indiana Library Federation Best Practices for Supervised Visits in the Library

1. Indiana Library FederationBest Practices for Supervised Visits in the Library Last updated September 2018 Contact: Indiana Library Federation, 317-257-2040

2. Topics covered related to • Supervised Visits in the Library • Increase awareness and understanding • Visit types • Needs of children, parent, library and service providers • Review Best Practice guide • Relationship with IN Department of Child Services (DCS) and service provider partners • How can we implement the best practices? • Remaining questions, concerns and reactions • Discuss Library Staff Actions • Do we want to create our own Tip Sheet or Handout? • Connect with DCS and Service providers • Day-to-day actions with children and their families Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

3. “Who is that person in the corner on the laptop?” • What professionals might use your library? • Department of Child Services (DCS) • Services providers contracted by DCS, Family Social Services Administration (FSSA), State Department of Health (ISDH), Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), Department of Workforce Development (DWD) • First Steps Early Intervention service providers • Educators and Tutors • Mentors and Allies • Attorneys and Mediators • Counselors and Social workers • Court-ordered visits may be highly structured and supervised, moderately structured, partially supervised and/or unstructured and unsupervised during the family reunification process. Don’t make assumptions Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

4. Empathy • For the Child – Imagine… • Being removed from your home, parents, community. • Visiting a parent in a public place with people watching. • The potential history that brought the child and family to this point. • For the Parent – Imagine… • The courage and effort it took to come today • The lack of direction or set of expectations provided for how a visit should go • The overwhelming desire to reunite with your child • The other barriers and complications in your life • For the Service Provider - Imagine… • The overwhelming caseload, stress and expectations (with low pay and recognition) • The challenge of understanding different library policies • The desire to work collaboratively but being limited by law or policy Some parents do not show. Some kids want to be here. Some do not. Kids and families already are feeling judged. Take off work and take the bus or hitch a ride to the library Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

5. About IN Dept. of Child Services (DCS) – www.in.gov/dcs • 50% increase in caseload over 5 years – Children in out-of-home placement grew from 8,897 in December 2012 to 16,834 in December 2017 (per DCS data) • DCS and its 400 contractors ARE PROHIBITED BY LAW from identifying or sharing any client/case information with library staff or anyone. • Mission:The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) engages with families and collaborates with state, local and community partners to protect children from abuse and neglect and to provide child support services. • Vision:Indiana children will live in safe, healthy and supportive families and communities. • Values:  • RESPECT – Every person has value, worth and dignity • SAFETY – Every child has the right to be free from abuse and neglect • STABILITY – The best place for children to grow up is with their own families • PERMANENCY – Children and older youth have the right to permanency • RESPONSIBILITY – Parents have the primary responsibility for the care and safety of their children • ACCOUNTABILITY – Each person is accountable for outcomes and one’s own growth and development • CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT – The agency will engage in continuous improvement efforts to improve outcomes for children and families Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

6. Understanding Supervised Visits and Family Reunification • Family preservation is a goal • Families and visits may include biological, non-custodial, kinship care, foster families and/or group home staff • The process of reunification for a child who was removed from home by a court order will sometimes include a stepped down process: • Highly structured and supervised visits between child and parent, where the family support worker is present the entire visit • Moderately structured and partially supervised, where the family support worker stops in to check on the family • Unsupervised, where visits occur and are reported to the family support worker • The caseworker, if present, is there to observe, not to intervene. • Other types of visits that are not part of court-ordered visits may be structured for mediation, mentorship, family support, relationship building, etc. Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

7. Library Service Areas 2017 (Yes, we realize this is outdated.) 236 public libraries, 428 branches IN Dept. of Child Services 18 regions; leadership transition Jan. 2018 • Why the library? • Safe and convenient locations • Public place • “Normal” interactions • Free things to do • Independent of weather • Resources in library • Visits also take place in service providers’ offices, parks, museums, restaurants, playgrounds, school events, relatives’ homes, parent’s/caregiver’s homes, etc. Find your County DCS Office at www.in.gov/dcs/2372.htm Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

8. What our members say about supervised visits Handle with care. How can we help you? These families need our support. Many of these families only see us as a meeting space; we need to teach them about the resources for their use—museum passes, computers and STEM, books for checkout, movies and music. We have resources that will benefit children and their parents. We want every family to feel welcomed and included. We want to make the library a great place to return—good memories. Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

9. Key Messages for Indiana Public Libraries • Empathy for all • Treat as any other patron – Speak to the family directly. Engage the child and parent directly in activities, introducing them to range of library services. Enforce rules as you would any other patron (food, running, language, room use). • Be proactive - Know and Connect with service providers BEFORE visits begin to develop relationship and understand expectations. Create a tip sheet. Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

10. About the Best Practice Guide The ILF Best Practice Guide for Supervised Visits in the Library grew out of collaborative conversations between ILF members, IN Dept. of Child Services and family support service providers. It provides guidance and tips to staff in both. We also encourage Libraries to offer refresher training sessions on mandatory reporting of suspected abuse and neglect. Main ideas for Libraries • Get to know local DCS offices, service providers and their staff. • Treat children and families as any other patrons. • Go the extra mile. • Train staff. • Explore creative ways to provide families and children access to all library resources. Main ideas for DCS Service Providers • Understand libraries’ policies, staffing, hours and programs (the 236 libraries are different). • Help ensure length and nature of visit matches the library setting. • Encourage families to take advantage of library programming. • Get to know the library staff. Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

11. Let’s talk about examples Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

12. Formal Policies • (guidance, liability protections, approved by the Board of Trustees) • General Library Policy • Meeting/Study Room Use Policy • Child Supervision Policy, Safe Child Policy, Unattended Child Policy, etc. • Card policies • Address issues such as… • Food and beverage • Space use • Running, inappropriate behaviors • Phone use, noise • Discuss policies might create barriers to visits. • How might we support these families? • Formal Practices • (guidance to meet changing needs of community) • Guide for Supervised Visits • “Tip sheets” for professionals using the library for meetings and services • “Checklist” or highlighted “library calendar” for service providers to share at their staff meetings or in their training • Periodic meetings between libraries and service providers (over breakfast or lunch) • Training of all library staff • Reminders to frontline staff about ways to provide cards for foster families and parents Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

13. Samples – Guides for Caseworkers and Families

14. More proactive examples • In the Library • Holiday program for foster kids; summer program with Mother Goose on the Loose (Vigo Co PL) • Guide for Supervised Visits (Adams Co PL, Greenwood PL) • “Tip sheets” for professionals using the library for meetings • Provide a printed calendar of programs with “what to expect” (how to dress, what to bring, what happens) • In the Community • Targeted outreach to service providers and to families (biological and foster) • Attend the DCS Safety Fair; visit domestic violence sheltersto conduct story time and provides resources at parenting workshops (Anderson PL) • Periodic meetings with service providers (host a breakfast or lunch with them) • Host their agency staff meeting or coalition meeting at the library • Virtual tours and “what to expect” and “services we offer” (Anderson PL) Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

15. Samples – Practices Excerpt from a library’s website Unannounced daycare visits, tutoring sessions, and supervised visitations taking place in the children's room are asked to check in at the kids' reference desk upon arrival. • SAVE THE DATE – Date, Time, Location • You are invited to a special luncheon for area caseworkers and supervisors. The ___ Library has a wealth of resources that can help your children and families. In our one hour together, we will • Offer a 5-minute tour of the library • Share resources available to children and parents (both biological and foster). • Introduce you to key staff in the children’s area (especially helpful for caseworkers with supervised visits in the library). • Provide you a light lunch. Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

16. Refresher on Child Abuse/Neglect Reporting • Suspected child abuse or neglect must be reported to Indiana Department of Child Services or to local law enforcement. DCS reporting line operates 24-hours, 7-days a week: 1-800-800-5556. • Indiana law requires the reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect. Anyone who has reason to believe that a child has been abused or neglected is required to report. • Report first, then report to supervisor or director. Public libraries may not establish any policy that restricts or delays the duty of an employee or individual to report. • Callers can remain anonymous and are immune from all civil and criminal liability, provided they have made the report in good faith. • When you call, stay calm and factual, providing identifying information (name, age of each child, address, phone number) and description of situation (dates, eyewitness observations and direct conversations). • For more information, DCS may provide training on recognizing and reporting abuse and neglect. Indiana State Library offers a legal memo with detail about relevant parts of the Indiana Code. IC 31-33-5 through IC 31-33-5-5. Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

17. Citations and Key Resources • ILF Best Practice Guide available at www.ilfonline.org • Indiana Department of Child Services – www.in.gov/dcs • Regional contacts - http://www.in.gov/dcs/2369.htm • Indiana State Library – Sample policies - http://www.in.gov/library/3290.htm • Library Bill of Rights - http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill • ALA Code of Ethics - http://www.ala.org/tools/ethics • Pew research about how parents value libraries - • http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/libraries / • For mandatory reporting of suspected abuse or neglect, see Indiana State Library legal memo last updated 7/31/2017 at https://www.in.gov/library/law.htm Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org

18. Thank you for all you do to support Indiana’s children and their families! Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents. www.ilfonline.org