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. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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