1. Indiana Library Federation Best Practices for Supervised Visits in the Library
Introductions: In 2017, children and teen librarians were noticing an increase in the number of formal professional visits that were happening in libraries. Indiana Library Federation facilitated a number of discussions with children and teen librarians, staff and leadership from IN Department of Child Services and their contracted family supportive service programs.
The ILF Best Practice Guide for Supervised Visits in the Library grew out of these conversations.
The slides that follow may be adapted for each library. The most important takeaways we hope you will preserve in any modification to this training are:
Libraries want to help children and their families—we share a common goal that children grow up in safe, healthy and supportive families and communities. Libraries want to share a lifelong love of learning and library resources. The first step is understanding the situation in order to provide empathy for the children and their families.
There are all types of visits that are happening in libraries. We cannot make assumptions about the type of visit, family situation or service provider.
In the case of supervised visits, we aim to treat children and families as any other patrons, while also going the extra mile to provide the range of services. We want to extend empathy to children, parents and service providers.
We aim to be proactive by getting to know the local Dept of Child Services office and local service providers. We aim to be proactive by training our staff, creating tip sheets or guides and being creative to reduce barriers to service.
Last updated September 2018
Contact: Indiana Library Federation,
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

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
We aim to cover these items. Review and ask if there are any other questions that should be covered.
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

3. Don’t make assumptions
“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
There are many organizations that may schedule meetings or visits that involve children in the library. Don’t make assumptions.
Our work grew out of a desire to help families and providers engaged with supervised visits in the DCS family reunification process.
Court-ordered visits range from highly structured and supervised to unstructured and unsupervised. You won’t necessarily know which type of visit.
There are many others who might use your library.
Other state agencies (DCS, ISDH, FSSA, IHCDA, DWD)
First Steps Early Intervention service providers – First Steps is an early intervention program for children birth to 3
Educators and Tutors -
Mentors and Allies – Many nonprofit and faith-based organizations develop mentor relationships between volunteers or professionals and children or families.
Attorneys and Mediators -
Counselors and Social workers -
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

4. Empathy For the Child – Imagine… Some parents do not show.
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
We ask you to close your eyes and imagine what it might be like to be removed from your family. Perhaps some of you had this or a different difficult family experience.
Read a few of these…imagine …..
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

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 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
The Indiana Department of Child Services, which we abbreviate to DCS, is a state agency charged to work with partners to protect children from abuse and neglect.
We likely all share this vision that children will live in safe, healthy and supportive families and communities.
DCS sees libraries as a critical community partner for healthy children and families.
Most of you have read news reports about the impact of the opioid crisis. DCS has seen a 50% increase in caseload over 5 years.
There were nearly 17,000 children removed from their home at the end of last year.
Children may be placed with family members—that is why we see so many grandparents raising grandchildren.
Children may be placed with other family members, called “kinship care.”
When there is no kinship care option, or when it is deemed best for the child, children are placed into foster care.
The foster family or group home may be some distance from the home of the biological or non-custodial families.
DCS contracts with over 400 service providers like Children’s Bureau, Family Solutions, etc.
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

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.
Remember that we may be dealing with biological, non-custodial (divorce), kinship care (grandparents, aunts, uncles), foster families and/or group home staff.
There is a stepped down process for visits. (see detail)
Note that the caseworker, if present, is there to observe the visit, to determine if the parent is ready for unsupervised visits or ready for reunification.
Some libraries have asked if library staff are allowed to help parents if they observe them struggling with a typical parenting process (book selection, diapering if more than one child, pick up dropped items).
Ask yourself, would you help another patron with an action? If yes, then yes, please help the parent or child. If on the fence, maybe discuss with your supervisor.
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

7. IN Dept. of Child Services
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.
In the best practice guide, we shared information FOR libraries about DCS service providers and FOR service providers about libraries.
Courts do not order that the visits take place at the library. Rather, the service providers are encouraged to visit public community organizations that the family will be able to access after the families are reunified.
Remember that many families may be very low income or in poverty.
Find your County DCS Office at
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

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.
There are just a few of the ways that our library community expressed a desire to help.
Most are eager to help.
Granted, we know that not all libraries have the space or facilities for extensive or very long visits.
However, nearly everyone agrees that we want to provide children a great experience that fosters a lifelong love of learning and libraries.
Libraries have amazing resources that can benefit children and families.
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.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

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.
Repeat
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

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.
If you look through the guide, it is two-fold. There are letters from both the director of Indiana Department of Child Services as well as the director of Indiana Library Federation.
It includes information and key messages for libraries, as well as information key messages for DCS-contracted service providers.
Remember that the service providers may not know how each library is different—with different policies, practices and services.
A single caseworker may have cases in many of the 236 libraries across the state.
The Best Practice Guide was distribute to ALL DCS service providers in mid September 2018.
Regarding the length and nature of the visit – ILF has worked with DCS and service providers to help their workers ensure the length and nature of the visit match the library.
We should start to see more appropriate visits.
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

11. Let’s talk about examples
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

12. Formal Policies Formal Practices General Library Policy
(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
It is important that all our staff know our library policies. These policies are approved by our Board of Trustees. (You might highlight your own.)
Additionally, we have a lot of informal practices that we do not have to have approved by the Board. These are how we develop and strengthen the relationship with the service providers, children and their families.
Review a few.
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

13. Guides for Caseworkers and Families
Samples –
Guides for Caseworkers and Families
ILF has posted these online. We invite libraries to share their own versions of Tip Sheets, Resource Guides or Calendars.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

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 shelters to 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)
On this slide, we share a few examples of what other libraries are doing proactively to build relationships and extend services to children and families in need.
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

15. Samples – Practices SAVE THE DATE – Date, Time, Location
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.
There are just a few examples. Remember that a newcomer to a library may not know how the library works.
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

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:
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 through IC
During the sessions at the ILF Youth Services Conference, participants asked for a refresher on mandatory reporting of suspected abuse and/or neglect.
We want to remind all our staff about the Indiana law that REQUIRES reporting of suspected abuse or neglect. Review details.
(Let ILF know if we should be offering more training in this area.)
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

17. Citations and Key Resources
ILF Best Practice Guide available at
Indiana Department of Child Services –
Regional contacts -
Indiana State Library – Sample policies -
Library Bill of Rights -
ALA Code of Ethics -
Pew research about how parents value libraries - /
For mandatory reporting of suspected abuse or neglect, see Indiana State Library legal memo last updated 7/31/2017 at
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library

18. Thank you for all you do to support Indiana’s children and their families!
Please share if you used any part of these slides in training. Contact Lucinda Nord, or x 101. If you have a suggestion about how to improve the next version of this guide, please let us know.
Indiana Library Federation leads, educates and advocates
to advance library services for the benefit of Indiana residents.
Sample Slides for
ILF Best Practices in Supervised Visits in the Library