Logic Model for Visit Coaching

Audience: Child Welfare Staff and Administrators, Private Providers, and Government Funders

Training Objectives

Audience will be able to understand and provide Visit Coaching by learning:

  • The harms that can come from traditional child welfare visitation between children and their parents for children, parents, foster parents/caregivers, and child welfare staff

  • The benefits that come from full implementation of Visit Coaching for children, parents, caregivers, and child welfare staff

  • Child welfare leadership, coach supervisors, and new coaches will learn the skills and practices necessary for implementation of Visit Coaching

Resources Required

  • Funding for training child welfare workers, coach trainees, caregivers, and related professionals

  • Ongoing funding for Visit Coaching, supplies, transportation, and facility costs

  • Willingness to change social work practice from parent requirement-based case planning to a child’s needs-based approach that builds on the strengths of parents and is grounded in family-centered practice

Activities & Outputs

  • In-person three-day pre-service training for visit coaches

  • Coaches provide initial Parent Visit Plan meeting, Pre-Family Time meeting, coaching during Family Time, and Post-Family Time meeting

  • Coaches adapt their approach to the family culture and the unique needs of the children

  • Parents plan their Family Time and attune to and engage their children when they are together

  • Parent, caregiver, and coach have regular Shared Parenting meetings

  • Coaches partner with caseworker who observes Family Time to assess child and parent progress

Short-Term Results

  • Coaches understand the underlying concepts and acquire the beginning skills necessary for implementing Visit Coaching / Family Time Coaching

  • Parents and coaches develop working relationship

  • Parents meet the developmental and separation-related needs of their children in care

  • Parents’ participation is improved—fewer rescheduled visits

  • Children’s needs are met by parents during their time together

  • Parents and caregivers work together to meet the developmental needs of the child

  • Trusting relationship with coach leads to increased parent cooperation with caseworker that leads to increased parent meeting of service plan goals

  • Parent participates in planning of permanent home if reunification not possible

Long-Term Outcomes

  • A more positive, motivated workforce of skilled coaches is developed, reducing harmful turnover and providing stability in services to families

  • Parents’ enhanced skills in meeting children’s needs impact parents’ future child-rearing and lifestyle

  • Child has ongoing access to cultural and family traditions and support in identity formation

  • Interruption of patterns of intergenerational trauma

  • Communication between caregivers and consistency of care reduces harm of separation and increases potential for stable placement

  • Higher likelihood of reunification, correlated with caseworker/parent relationship

  • Child has benefit of both relationships; caregiver stays involved post-reunification or conversely, parent stays involved post-adoption

Download the Logic Model: (PDF)