The Family Support Center is intended for people separated from children for reasons that include divorce, domestic violence, neglect, paternity, truancy, runaways and adoption. The center provides counseling to help parents adjust to the rebuilding of strained relationships between them and their children. The adults do not see each other when the children are brought to the center for visits or exchanges with the nonresidential parent. When a family is referred to the center, often as part of a court order, the adults and children participate in screenings to determine the best approach for the visits. Participants set a schedule and pay a sliding-scale fee for the service.
Visits occur when the team determines all parties are ready.
On- site visits are in rooms furnished with toys appropriate to children's ages. The Family Support Center has operated since August under a partnership between U of L's Kent School of Social Work, through its family therapy program, and Jefferson Family Court. The court secured a grant from the Child Support Enforcement Division of the Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children, and the court contracts with U of L to provide the service. Bonnie Swicegood, a licensed clinical social worker and certified marriage and family therapist, is the center director. U of L students majoring in social work and in family therapy gain professional experience by supervising the visits.