Maltese Clinic Offers Oasis For Separated Parents And Children During Supervised Access Visits
Establishing a proper relationship with your children as a divorced or separated parent is no easy feat, especially when you put all the restrictions brought on by COVID-19 into the mix.
Local counselling service Willingness is here to provide you with holistic assistance for just that (and a whole bunch of other things).
In light of this, the Willingness team has started offering ’Supervised Access Visits’ (SAVs); now these might sound complex, but we promise you, it’s all pretty straightforward.
Supervised Access Visits are sessions that allow non-custodial parents – meaning parents who no longer live with their children due to a divorce or separation – to visit their children in a comfortable yet controlled environment.
Such sessions aim to replicate a domestic atmosphere as much as possible in a bid to create an environment where both the parent and the child are at ease.
Unfortunately, certain circumstances sometimes dictate that a non-custodial parent is not allowed to visit their child without supervision.
Willingness’ Supervised Access Visits thus seek to make this process as streamlined and comfortable as possible for both parties.
SAVs are monitored by a team of supervisors who have been adequately trained in a number of areas to ensure that they are constantly and consistently at the top of their game.
The Willingness team
From psychology and first aid to attachment and bonding, these supervisors go through a thorough training programme prior to being assigned to the job.
Once their role is established however, they are then monitored by other professionals – such as psychologists, social workers, and family therapists – to ensure that their work is up to standards.
Such supervisors are required to write a report about each visit that takes place, which is subsequently checked and summarised by a professional trained in court reporting. This facilitates the submission of such reports to the courts – should that need arise.
Supervised Access Visits have been in operation for quite a while now, and the results have been very successful.
These visits take place at Willingness’ own hub, which has been structured and maintained in a way that replicates an apartment whilst retaining a professional environment.
The hub offers a wide variety of rooms built to cater to children from different age groups, all of which are air-conditioned and sanitised to ensure visitors’ peace of mind.
Most rooms also come with a 40-inch TV screen allowing visitors to watch films, display photos, or play games together. These also offer a wide range of toys – all of which are frequently sanitised – which can be used by children during their visits.
One of the spaces offered at the Willingness Hub
Apart from guaranteeing a comfortable visit, the Willingness team also seeks to cater for the emotional side of the experience.
The fallout of a separation of a divorce can have lingering effects on parents and children in a variety of ways.
SAV supervisors have therefore been trained to escort children from their custodial parent to their non-custodial parent and back in a bid to reduce the chances of having children witness hurtful interactions between parents.