New York Enhanced Child Visiting Program

This program will promote and expand services in detention and correctional facilities to incarcerated individuals and their minor children younger than age 18, and provide services to children of incarcerated parents by facilitating access to services that support their needs. This program will provide states and localities with funding to implement positive family engagement strategies and activities that address the needs of incarcerated parents and their minor children.

Columbia County will use funding to address four major goals in an effort to change the ways in which children visit with their incarcerated parent(s) and increase community-based support for youth, reduce recidivism through positive reunification efforts and increase understanding and awareness by engaging key stakeholders. Goals include: (1) expand and replicate child friendly visiting policies and programs, (2) improve transitional and re-entry supports to parents returning from incarceration (3) develop comprehensive community-based supports for children of incarcerated parents, and (4) raise awareness through training and partnership building to increase supports and understanding for children of incarcerated parents. CA/NCF