Visitation Center
Child Exchange & Parenting Center
What is the Center
The Child Exchange and Parenting Center was created to provide children and their families with a neutral, safe and secure environment in which to conduct parental exchanges as well as court ordered supervised visitation. The Center serves the 31st Judicial District counties of Allen, Neosho, Woodson and Wilson, along with Anderson County in the 4th Judicial District. Supervised visits and monitored exchanges occur by appointment only. The Center is closed on major holidays, however, services may be conducted on the days immediately before or after the holiday.
The Center is located at 406 North Buckeye in Iola, Kansas. Two separate rooms are available for supervised visitation as well as a large reception area for monitored exchanges. Every effort has been made to ensure a pleasant, calm environment for children and their families. Trained security personnel are on site to ensure the safety of all parties.
Families may be referred to the Center by court order, agency referral or self-referral. Priority is given to those parties residing in the counties served by Hope Unlimited, Inc.
Each parent must attend an initial intake interview before visitation or exchange services can be scheduled. During the interview, Center personnel will review the guidelines of the program with the participants.
The Visitation Center is a member program of the Supervised Visitation Network and the Kansas Network of Visitation Providers.
Who Pays for Services?
In order to maintain the services of the Center, a nominal intake fee is required.
Exchange Services
An exchange occurs when children are transferred from one parent to the other for visitation purposes. Exchanges may occur during the week and on weekends during normal operational hours. The non-custodial parent will arrive at the center 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time. The Center staff will escort the child into the Center as the custodial parent leaves the premises. Fifteen minutes later, the non-custodial parent and child may leave the facility. Likewise, when the non-custodial parent’s visit is over, that parent and the child will return to the Center at the scheduled time. The custodial parent will arrive 15 minutes after the scheduled time to pick up the child.
Visitation Services
One hour supervised visitation services will be held in one of the visitation rooms. Non-custodial parents will arrived 15 minutes prior to the scheduled visit and wait in the visitation room. The custodial parent and child will arrive at the scheduled time. Center personnel will escort the child to the visitation room and the custodial parent will leave the premises. The non-custodial visiting parent will participate in the supervised visitation with Center personnel observing. After the visit, the Center personnel will escort the child back to the custodial parent. The non-custodial parent is permitted to leave the premises 15 minutes after the visitation ends.
What is the Child Advocacy Center?
A child focused Center where children of all ages can speak to trained professionals about allegations of child abuse. It is a special place where children can go to talk about difficult things. Referrals are then made for other services such as therapy, medical care, court advocacy and much more.
The Center provides comprehensive and sensitive direct services to children and non-offending family members affected by sexual assault or other traumatic abuse using a multi-disciplinary team approach with law enforcement, child protective services and advocacy services. Support groups are also available for non-offending parents and caregivers.
The Child Advocacy Center of Hope Unlimited is an fully accredited member of the National Children’s Alliance. For more information, call (620) 365-7566 or via email at [email protected].
Safe children and healthy families are a shared responsibility……you can prevent child abuse in your community by supporting children in your local community. Address the issue, do not be afraid to talk about child sexual abuse. With support, children can overcome the trauma of child sexual abuse. Help us put an END to child sexual abuse. For more information or to schedule a presentation, call the Child Advocacy Center Coordinator at 620-365-2016.