Advertisements
WE have been told that we are probably going to start 'unsupervised weekends' after our next court date (in about a month). This is a good thing, our kids bio mom is busting her butt and doing everything right, and the kids miss her. I am not upset about the progress to unsupervised weekend visits, Im just not real clear on what exactly that means. With the understanding that everything is a little different everywhere, what is your experience with this? Are we likely to be talking about all day on Saturday, or will we just start off Friday afternoon to Sunday evening from the very fist visit? I am like our 3 year old, we both do much better when we know what is going to happen!
Like
Share
Advertisements
my 2 yr old just went home--only a single unsupervised weekend. i can tell you what we did, but like skc said, it's mostly a scheduling thing. i took Guy to day care. from day care, they took him to mom. mom kept him from Friday morning until Sunday at 3:00. that was the time the 2 of us agreed on for Guy's return. we chose a spot to meet 1/2 way between our houses. we visited briefly and then we went home. simple--except for the part where the department didn't want to send the baby to his visits--but that's another story! good luck. we had absolutely no trouble. and like you, it was time. it's good to see it happen this way!
Here we started with unsupervised all days( 9 am to 7pm) On the weekends, this was for 5 all day visits. This weekend will start the first over night. He has been approved for Friday night to Sunday night . Dad will proberly have 3 all night weekends before the boys go home around the end of this month. This tranistion has taken about a month and half and was mainly longer because one of the boys is 20 months old. Both boys have been in care for 1 yr.
Our girls have unsupervised weekend visits with their grandmother. We meet up Friday afternoons in a public location for the hand off, and she brings them back on Sunday afternoons. The time and place was decided by us and grandma. We have occasionally changed it to earlier or later because of weather or appointments. And they have stayed for a 3 day weekend on holiday occasions. We just told their worker and it was fine.So yeah, it's more like a joint custody w. grandma. This has been their arrangement for as long as they have been in care, even before they came to us.They are supposed to get unsupervised weekends with their mom, but I don't know if that is going to happen. When it looked possible, the SW said it would basically be the same gig - Fri-Sunday and workout the drop off and pick up with their mom. We have a functional relationship with her, and I know they'll love staying with her but I am not looking forward to that, their mother is not the most punctual.
Advertisements
Where we are, unsupervised weekends means full days with the bios but not overnights. It would be like from 9AM to 6PM both Sat and Sun..so the kiddos would just come back for the night schedule. If they stay overnight with the bios, we usually just call those "Overnight Weekend Visits"...meaning they can take them any time Friday evening or Saturday morning until Sunday night. Its seems the verbiage is different depending on where you are. I would just make sure you have full clarification from the SW. I'm happy to hear the biomom is busting her butt. I wish more were like that so these kiddos wouldn't be stuck in care so long.
Advertisements
Here, weekend [overnight] visits wouldn't start until overnights had taken place. So yes, unsupervised on a weekend could just mean unsupervised. However, nothing new here happens without being ok'd by the judge first. Usually at the 6m reviews, DSS will state what they are willing to work up to before the next 6m review and the judge will order the progression at the discretion of DSS. So unless RU had already been put on the table by the judge, it would not happen without another court date.