How often can I visit or talk on the phone with my child? Can my child come home for visits while enrolled at Kemmerer Village?
Regular phone contact and family visits are crucial to the treatment process and a discharge plan that leads to a successful return home. Consistent phone contact and visits are one of the ways that the family shows active participation for the success of their child’s treatment plan and program. Although a contact and visitation plan is tailored to fit each child’s and family’s overall treatment plan, there are some basic guidelines that we follow:

Phone Contact: The number of phone calls a child may receive or place each day is determined by their Level Status. Even at the lowest Level Status, your child can receive one in-coming call per day. At the time of admission, we will ask you to provide us with a list of persons, their relationship to your child, and their phone numbers. Your child will only be allowed to receive and place phone calls to the persons on this list. The list may be added to or revised by you, with a call to your child’s Primary Therapist.

Due to your child’s program schedule, the best hours for phone contact with your child is 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm on weekdays and 1:00 pm – 9:30 pm on weekends.

On-campus, Off-campus & Home Visits: At the time of your child’s admission we will establish a mutually agreed upon Visit Plan with you, that details the frequency and types of visits to occur during your child’s initial 1-3 months in placement. Consistency in following an agreed upon Visit Plan is one of the single most important element of a successful treatment outcome. Typically, during the initial 6-8 weeks in placement, we recommend that the majority of visits are On-campus. We recommend this because it helps to support your child’s adjustment (and in some cases, acceptance) to being in residential care. An On-campus visit usually consists of 1-3 hours somewhere within our building and grounds. As your child begins to demonstrate a willingness to work on treatment plan goals; and prior visits have been generally positive, Off-Campus visits are a good test of the child’s readiness for Home visits. An Off-Campus visit usually consists of picking up your child and taking him or her for an outing in the community for 2-4 hours. Our staff can recommend many places and activities that are available in the surrounding communities.

Home visits are typically overnight, for the weekend, or special holidays; and can be a good opportunity for assessing how well your child’s progress in our program is transferring to the home environment. The frequency and duration of Home visits should increase as your child comes closer and closer to achieving the goals of his or her treatment plan.