CASA Expands Supervised Child Exchanges and Visitations to Teller County

Creating Safe Havens for Children

CASA is pleased to announced the expansion the Supervised Exchange and Parenting Time (SEPT) program into Teller County.

The SEPT program is a court-ordered service that protects children from witnessing parental disputes and keeps them out of the middle of the conflict. Trained volunteers (or facilitators) oversee the transfer of children from one parent to another in conflictive custody or domestic violence cases. Parents ordered into supervised parenting time are able to spend time with their children in a setting managed by CASA staff and volunteers. The program is a family-focused service that provides a safe place for parents and children to build positive relationships.

Unless special circumstances exist, children generally fare best when they have the emotional support and ongoing involvement of both parents. Ongoing parental involvement fosters positive parent-child relationships and healthy emotional and social development. Supervised visitation programs keep adult victims of domestic violence safe as well.

SEPT program services in Teller are scheduled to begin in April, 2013 with two locations: 1) Community Partnership Family Resource Center in Divide and 2) The Aspen Mine Center in Cripple Creek.

CASA is now recruiting volunteers to facilitate the SEPT program in Divide and Cripple Creek.  No special experience is necessary, all training is provided. Applicants are carefully screened and must be at least 18 with no felony convictions. For more information on becoming a SEPT volunteer contact Tiffany Clark at 447-9898, x1020.  

CASA has been providing volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children in Teller and El Paso counties since 1989, but until now the SEPT program was limited to El Paso County. Funding provided by the Families and Community Together Collaborative in Teller County enabled CASA’s expansion of supervised exchange and visitation services in Teller. The Families and Community Together collaborative was developed out of Colorado House Bill 1451 and includes 14 partner agencies in Teller County. House Bill 1451 supports the development of family-driven wraparound services to youth between the ages of 0-21 years and their families who have involvement with multiple systems.

“This grant has enabled us to extend the reach of our SEPT program services to children and families of Teller County, and to support them in maintaining healthy, positive and conflict-free relationships,” said CASA Executive Director Trudy Strewler. “We are proud and honored to work with these dedicated professionals to improve the lives of children.”

Families and Community Together (HB 1451) Collaborative Partners in Teller:
1. Teller County Department of Social Services
2. Teller County Department of Public Health
3. Teller County Build A Generation – North and South
4. Cripple Creek Victor School District, RE-1
5. Woodland Park School District, RE-2
6. AspenPointe Health Networks (BHO) Behavioral Health Organization
7. The Division of Youth Corrections – Southern Region
8. 4th Judicial District Probation
9. 4th Judicial District Trial Courts
10. Teller County Build a Generation
11. Community of Caring
12. AspenPointe
13. Victim Assistance Program
14. Teller County Sheriff’s Department

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