FACT SHEET FOR FOSTER FAMILIES: VIRTUAL VISITS

The Department of Child Safety (DCS) has implemented a Level 2 social distancing protocol which puts all parties involved with your foster child’s case in a challenging circumstance. Here are a few things to consider as you, and all parties involved, participate in virtual visits which are required and necessary at this time.

You are not alone. Your agency is here to support you through this process. Let virtual visits with your licensing specialist be a time for you to share your concerns and be encouraged. The irony of this situation is that by isolating we hope to keep everyone safe, but isolation may also bring anxiety, tension and poor mental health. Consider virtual visits a way to stay healthy through connection.

We understand that as foster families, you carry the burdens of caring for the children in your home as well as the huge changes happening in all other areas of your life. We know foster families are already highly resilient and are the best at juggling schedules and deciding what is in the best interest of children in their care. We are grateful that you are the steadfast person in your foster child’s life at this moment in time.

Many have a heightened sense of anxiety as this is uncharted territory, including birth parents, foster families, DCS case managers and parent aides. Some may be new to technology so it may take time to figure out the best rhythm and medium to connect virtually.

Be available for visits with your parent aides. Parents want to see their children during this pandemic and need to know that they are okay. Expect that virtual visits may be shorter and/or more frequent instead of one or two times a week for hours in order to keep the attention of the children. When visits happen, remember the parent aides or case aides who are providing those visits are employees who are doing their best in this circumstance.

Practical tips for virtual visits with birth families You will most likely need to redirect during visits as this way of visiting parents, for most children, is not as engaging.

This is a great time to engage in shared parenting. Visits might only be 30-40 minutes, but the number of the visits that take place will most likely increase.

We know the children in your care may have reactions during their in person visits, these virtual visits we expect will not be any different. Seeing their parents in places they once lived or remember may cause children to have a stronger reaction to visits. Please know that this is normal, allow your child to share their feelings with you.

You may want to create a unique e-mail for communication and can press *67 before they dial into a call to ensure your personal information isn’t shared.

Young children Infants: facilitate tummy time, allow close up video of the child’s face, hands and feet. Allow the birth parents to talk and play with the baby. Toddlers: give them a snack in their high chair so that they can stay in one place and potentially engage more thoroughly. Young children: give them a coloring book, playdough or crafts and let them color and share with their parents what they are creating. Have the child read a book to the parent or the parent read a book to the child. Playing a card or board game together (if both parent and child have the same game) can be a fun activity. Eating meals “together” at the same time is another way to create a positive experience. If there is a poem, song or something the child is learning let them recite it to their parents. For example, ABC’s, 1,2,3’s, or Jesus Loves Me. Freeze dance – foster parent plays music they listen to in the house and freezing when music stops..

Arms of Love partners with the state to provide foster care and adoption services for those wishing to provide safe, loving homes for children in the state’s care.

Put a child in the stroller and sit outside so there are no distractions from within the household. Set the video up to show parents doing a song with hand motions like Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. This allows the parents to engage and also teach their children to identify body parts. They can then ask children “Where’s Joey’s hand? Where’s Joey’s nose?” Play a game like Simon Says where one person is the director and everyone else has to follow what they do. (without using words or directions) Play a guessing game. “I’m thinking of a number that is higher than 100 but less than 1 million.” “I’m thinking of a word that starts with L and is 4 letters.” Work on an art project together, having biological parents help children choose the color for hair, color for a dog, etc. Consider allowing children to show their birth parents new healthy routines they have learned: o How they brush their teeth o Where they take their shoes off o Where they do their homework o Where they keep their pajamas o Where they eat their breakfast o Let them share about the family pets

These activities can be non-identifying but will help a birth parent understand the way the child is being cared for, learning and growing.

Older children Talk with your child between visits and make a list of things they want to share with their parents. Games like hang man or eye spy could be great connection games. Videos of the child riding a bike, climbing trees or hiking can be shared and talked about. Let the child go outside and play with chalk and show their birth family. Game ideas: o Charades or Heads Up: have biological parents describe or act out something and the child has to guess or can use pieces of papers with words that they know (like catch phrase) o Have your child draw things (like Pictionary) and biological parents guess what it is (foster families can prepare a word list in advance) https://hobbylark.com/party-games/pictionary-words o Have a picture on the screen, each side draws and races to see who made theirs look more like the picture on the screen. o Look at a picture on screen together and talk about what you notice. o Scavenger Hunt… each party finds something in their house that’s blue, something that’s red, something from their bedroom, something that makes them smile… sharing about it. o Have biological parents help count or keep time for a new hobby or sport. For example, how many push-ups or how many jump ropes or how long a balloon is in the air before dropping, etc.

The latest protocols and policies during this pandemic, including Level 2 Social Distancing Protocol. https://dcs.az.gov/covid19

Article on virtual visitations http://www.faithandfamilies.com/2020/03/20/tips-for-virtual-visitation/

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