Reconnecting Parent and Child(ren)

Renew offers a reunification program uniquely designed to prepare the non-custodial parent to become an active and positive participant in the life of their estranged child. This course assumes that there is an agreed arrangement for the non-custodial parent to have access (supervised or other) with their child(ren).

This course is not the same as reunification therapy, wherein a counsellor works with both children and parents in the reunification process. Rather, this course is for the non-custodial parent who will meet with a social worker to develop appropriate skills to engage, or re-engage, in their child’s life in healthy and pro-social ways.

This 10-hour course is divided into two sections:

Section 1: In preparation for access visits, parents are taught or refreshed parenting styles, consider the challenges related to building new or repairing harmed parent-child relationships, and develop a visitation plan for (re)establishing healthy parental relationships.

Section 2:  Renew recommends, where possible, that access visits commence midway through the course. The remainder of the course and the access visits, therefore, run concurrently. This provides the facilitator and parent an opportunity to reflect on supervised visits, explore problematic areas, and focus on implementing strategies that strengthen the parent-child bond.

As this course is one-on-one, the content is tailored to address concerns raised by the client or courts. As a general outline, this course contains the following themes:

Developmental Stages: 

• Exploring emotional, cognitive, physical and social needs of the child and appropriate expectations at that stage of development.

Communication:

• Linking the developmental stage of the child to appropriate communication strategies.
• Psychoeducation regarding the impact of an absent parent in the life of a child.

Separation Anxiety :

• An overview of the types of anxieties that can emerge in children who are separated from a parent and how to recognize the signs and respond appropriately. 

The First Access Visit:

• Planning the first few access visits. Discussion centres on the child’s emotional, social and cognitive needs. Factors such as the length and location of the visit, who is present, and communication with the custodial parent will be considered.

Consistency and Predictability:

• Factors that can interfere with the reconnection and the impact on the child’s emotional well-being. Topics explored: cancellations, no shows, arriving late and/or long periods of time between access visits. 

Responding to Difficult Questions:

• Supporting parents to listen and respond to difficult questions raised by children in an age-appropriate manner

Parental Needs:

• Supporting non-custodial parents to recognize and acknowledge their own feelings and needs around being separated from their child, managing difficult information such as the other parent getting a new boyfriend or girlfriend, a child’s preference to only sleep at one parent’s house in the beginning, or preferences about how one parent does certain things will be discussed

*Between Session Challenges (homework):

• Participants will receive assignments required for completion between sessions. Assignments are designed to encourage parents to reflect upon the difficult stage they are going through, their associated feelings and needs, and the solidifying of new knowledge.

Duration: 10-hours (flexible scheduling)

Mode of Facilitation: One-on-one (private), online

Instructor: Registered Social Worker

*Based on Group Benefits Plan, fees for service may be covered under Social Work