Practice Notes
Issue No. 13        January 2003
An important message is worth repeating. Earlier Practice Notes dealt
with general aspects of  “Visitation.” We return to the topic, but with a
special emphasis on two situations of separation and loss requiring
specific attention: sibling separation and children with incarcerated
mothers. We have taken the perspective of  the Children’s Justice Initiative:
“Through the Eyes of  a Child.”
Although keeping siblings together continues to be emphasized as the
preferred placement plan, separation may be necessary under
circumstances, which research and evaluation will outline in this edition
of  Practice Notes. When siblings cannot be placed together, then a
visiting and maintenance plan is required.
The power of  the sibling bond is a persistent theme in sibling studies. In
some cases, sibling relationships are more influential than any other,
including those with parents. The bond may even be stronger for brothers
and sisters from dysfunctional families. The courts have recognized this.
Much of the legal literature deals with cases in which siblings have been
separated and are seeking either to be reunited in placement or granted
visitation rights.
Turning to the children who have been separated from their incarcerated
mothers, we are confronted again with the responsibility of  supporting
visitation that can minimize the trauma of  separation and loss.
Women now make up the fastest growing segment of  the prison
population. Women imprisoned for drug law violations increased 421%
between 1986 and 1996.  Eighty percent are mothers and 75% of these
women have children under the age of 18.
Visitation: Through the Eyes of a Child
Some courts have recognized a
constitutional right to association among
siblings. In cases in which siblings have
been separated, courts have found that
it is in the best interest of the child to
maintain visitation with individuals to
whom the child was close, including
siblings.  However, the siblings’ rights of
association are weighed against the
competing rights of biological, foster, or
adoptive families, and their attachment
to one another is only one of several
issues considered in determining the
“best interest” of the child.
Siblings Have a Legal Right to
Visit One Another
Youth in foster care are also voicing their
desire to be with their brothers and sisters
and to have the opportunity to maintain
relationships even when not living together.
The National Center for Youth Law has
developed a brochure for children entitled
My Rights in Foster Care that includes
information on their right of  association
with siblings.
Source: National Center for Youth Law.  My Rights
in Foster Care. Oakland, CA: Author. Available online
at http://www.youthlaw.org/fcpam.htm
Source: Elstein, S.G. (1999). Making decisions about
siblings in the child welfare system. ABA Child Law
Practice 18(7), p. 115.
Continued on page 2
CASCW Practice Notes, Issue No. 13, January 2003, Page 2
Assessing the Intimacy of Sibling Relationships
Many factors should be taken into consideration when assessing the
intimacy of  sibling relationships.
Source: Sisters and Brothers Together Project (2002).  Sibling decision-making matrix.
Unpublished.  Norhteast Ohio Adoption Services.  For further information contact Connie
Mascheier, conniem1014@aol.com.
Hegar, R. (1988). Sibling relationships and separations: Neglected dimension in child care
practice. Social Services Review, 62 (3), 446-467;
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (2002).  The sibling bond: Its importance in
foster care and adoptive placement. Retrieved from
http://www.calib.com/naic/pubs/f_siblin.htm.
The Continuum Reflecting the Intensity
of the Sibling Relationship:
Least
Have never
met, or
minimum
contact;
bond is to
current
caregiver
Minimum
Not living
together and
no visits but
remember
siblings fondly;
Same father;
half sibling;
totally
unrelated but
bonded
Intense
Not living
together
but have
frequent
visits and
want to
increase
visits
Sources: Elstein, S.G. (1999).  Making decisions about
siblings in the child welfare system.  Child Law Practice,
18(7).
BJS Sourcebook (May, 2000). Mothers in prison: Facts you
need to know about women in US prisons. Retrieved from
http://circlevision.org/archive/events00/MIP/
MIPpages/mipfacts.html
Helping children cope with the fact of
incarcerated mothers has its own “best
practices,” which this edition of  Practice
Notes records. The highly regulated and
coercive environment of prison creates a
context which has specific meaning for
children. The shame and humiliation of
children dealing with their peers and the
worry about leaving mothers in unknown
circumstances are among the factors that
require counseling. Who provides a
therapeutic relationship for children who
often maintain a painful silence shrouded
in embarrassment?
We were fortunate to have an interview
with Diane Hagen, Parent/Family
Program Coordinator, Minnesota
Correctional Facility, Shakopee, and the
observations of  the Child Services Unit
of Hennepin County and other
experienced child protection workers to
provide details that were not available in
the literature.
We spoke to many social workers who
were concerned about children caught in
these poignant separations. To all of
them, we extend our deep appreciation
for their help.
E.W.
Continued from page 1
Has one sibling assumed a parental role?  If
yes, is the impact of this on the sibling group
positive or negative?
Have the siblings been separted in the past?  If
they have been apart, have they maintained
contact?
Do the siblings have the same father and
mother, are they half siblings, or are they totally
unrelated but bonded?
Are there any risk factors associated with the
sibling relationship such as sexual or physical
victimization?
CASCW Practice Notes, Issue No. 13, January 2003, Page 3
Separation may be necessary when:
The child has resided for a significant
period of  time and formed an intense
attachment to current caretakers who
offer permanency.
The child has special needs that can
only be met by separation.
The risk of  recurrence of  physical harm
or sexual aggression of  a more powerful
sibling victimizes a younger sibling;
theraputic intervention has not
diminished these high risk behaviors in
a timely way.
If  separation is necessary, a sibling visitation
plan is in order.
Visitation plans should include:
• Frequency of face-to-face visits, phone calls, letters, etc.
• The parties responsible for coordinating, transporting, initiating and carrying out
visits
• The names, addresses and phone numbers of the foster/adoptive home where all
the siblings are living
• The signature of all parties involved, including children
• Copies for each individual, including the children
• A designation of responsibility for maintaining the plan
Source: Keck, G.C. & Kupecky, R. (1998).  Siblings: the old, the new, the feelings!  In Adopting the hurt child: Hope for
families with special needs kids (pp. 119-130).  Colorado Springs, CO: Pinon Press.
Coordinating sibling visits is a time-consuming task
requiring consideration of the following factors:
transportation, school schedules, costs, cooperation of
foster parents, and selection of  visiting sites.
• When sibling groups must be separated, plans
for sibling visitations should be initiated
immediately.
• The children should be consulted in the
planning process.  Children’s wishes concerning
the nature and frequency of contact should be
honored.
• When children are state wards, a concerted
effort must be made for sibling visits. These
visits are necessary to minimize the degree of
loss experienced by children when termination
of  parental rights occurs.
Guidelines for Practice
CASCW Practice Notes, Issue No. 13, January 2003, Page 4
A Recent Development
The Center for Crime Victims Services in the Minnesota
Department of Public Safety has established, with a
federal grant, eight visiting centers.  They are sometimes
known as Family Safety Centers. They are used chiefly
for visitation in contested divorce and custody
proceedings and in domestic violence situations. These
centers have play areas and are secure, staffed, and
supervised.
Family Safety Centers are rarely used by child protection
for sibling visitation.  They should be explored as an
additional resource for sibling visitation.
Source: Cecilia Miller, Grants Director, Center for Crime
Victims Services, telephone conversation, January 10, 2003.
• Place children in close proximity so they live within the same
school district
• Place children in foster or adoptive homes where parents have
been trained, instructed, or encouraged to maintain contact
among them
• Assign one worker for all siblings
• Have children create life books
• Make sure that siblings have phone numbers and e-mail addresses
for each sibling
• When distance keeps sibling from visiting one another, encourage
letters, birthday cards, photos, etc.
• If possible, arrange joint therapy sessions, shared vacations, and
weekend respite care to bring siblings together
To be considered:
• A specialized worker charged with coordinating
sibling visitation.
• Contracting with a community agency to coordinate
sibling visitation.
Best Practices
Still to be Resolved
There are several issues still to be resolved in sibling placements.
Therapists see children as individuals, not as members of  a family.
Planning for sibling visits is an arduous, costly, and time-consuming
task. The framework to begin dealing with these issues may be shaped
through asking the following questions.
• Can an overburdened child protection worker be required
to make sibling visits a priority?
• How do we use information from supervised visitation in
case planning for permanency?
Features of Innovative Programs Designed
to Maintain Sibling Contact
Neighbor to Neighbor:  A program in Chicago,
Illinois, where foster caregivers are Hull House
Association employees who receive extensive
training to meet the needs of  sibling groups.  An
assortment of social, emotional and educational
support services are provided to the children,
their foster parents and their biological parents.
Website:  http://hullhouse.org/
Camp to Belong: A non-profit organization that
aims to reunite brothers and sisters placed in
different foster homes for events of fun,
emotional empowerment and sibling connection.
Their signature event is a weeklong summer camp.
Website: http://www.camptobelong.org/
Sources: Casey Family Programs National Center for
Resource Family Support. (2001). Resources on siblings in
foster care. Washington, DC. Retrieved from
http://www.casey.org/cnc/policy_issues/siblings.htm.
CASCW Practice Notes, Issue No. 13, January 2003, Page 5
A Profile
Nationwide, 75 percent of women in prison are mothers, and a large
share (72%) had children under 18 living with them before entering prison.
Ten percent of  the children are living in a non-relative foster home or
institution. Twenty-five percent are living with friends or kin, and more
than half  (65%) are living with grandparents. More than half  (53%) never
had a visit from their children. Unlike Minnesota, women, nationally, are
likely to be incarcerated far away from home, because there are fewer
prisons for women. A high proportion of women inmates are imprisoned
for drug-related offenses.  The number of  Minnesota women in federal
prison is not available at this time.
How Children Respond
The trauma of  separation due to the mother’s imprisionment is severe.
How children respond to the pain of separation varies according to age
and may change over time: children may have seen their parent commit a
crime, witnessed the arrest, and fear the prison milieu for their parent and
themselves.
Children respond in these ways:
Preserving the Child’s Connection to the Parent
• A practice principle for responding to the child:
attempt to alleviate the child’s uncertainty.  What
has happened? When will they  see the parent
again?  What happens next?
• Explain what is the same and what will be
different while the mother is in prison.
Counseling for Children
Children have their most intense and stressful response
following visits and at the time of release, when
reunification is to take place. Young children have grown
accustomed to living without the inmate mother . . . both
child and mother have changed in the interim of
imprisonment. Identify who will be available to support
the reunified family with counseling, psychotherapy, and
respite care.
Through the Eyes of a Child: Understanding Children with Mothers in Prison
• Provide opportunities for mothers to plan for
and help their children.
• Establish regular visitation as soon after arrest
as possible.
• Prepare foster parents on how to handle visits,
in both pre and post stages.
• Coach inmate mothers on leave-taking.
• Arrange for inmates and children to meet in
separate groups after the visits to discuss how
things went.
• Consider the development of a specialized
caseworker. This worker would develop
expertise in designing plans for this population
that are appropriate and in the child’s best interest.
The specialized worker would develop
relationships with the staff at the corrections
facility and establish policies that allow for a
better flow of  information.
CWLA-Federal Resource Center for Children of  Prisoners.  An overview of  statistics.
Retrieved from http://www.cwla.org/programs/incarcerated/
The Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. Incarcerated women in the United
States: Facts and figures. Retrieved from http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/prisonstudy/
subpages/facts/facts.html
The U.S. Department of  Justice (2000). Almost 1.5 million minor children have a mother or
father in prison.  Retrieved from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/iptc.pr
Best Practices
Beckerman, A. (1998). Charting a course: Meeting the challenges
of permanency planning for children with incarcerated mothers.
Child Welfare, 77(5),.513-529.
• Self-image:  Children identify with the incarcerated parent.  They
are aware of the social stigma with having a parent in prison and
suffer from low self-esteem.
• Thinking:  Children will experience intrusive thoughts about their
parents.  They have concerns about the future and may experience
flashbacks.
• Emotions:  Children will experience a wide range of emotions
ranging from fear, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, withdrawal, and
abandonment, to embarrassment, guilt and fear.
• Mental Health:  Children with incarcerated parents may suffer from
depression, eating problems, sleeping problems, anxiety, attention
problems, hyper-arousal and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
• Behaviors:  Children with parents in prison may exhibit aggression,
acting out, and disruptive behaviors and often become involved with
the juvenile justice system.
The Shakopee Model
The Minnesota Correctional Facility, Shakopee, houses
adult women convicted of  felonies. The number of  women
offenders is small (approximately 416) compared to the
male inmate population (7,000). Minnesota has one of
the lowest rates of women offenders in the nation. Most
women offenders have children and have been the sole
parent before entering Shakopee. When mothers enter
prison, their children most often live with a family
member, but a portion of them live in non-kin foster care.
Visitation Arrangements
This correctional facility emphasizes the importance of
visitation, reflecting its commitment to restorative justice
principles. Pamphlets, instructional leaflets, and a book
for children, “Help for Kids! Understanding Your Feelings
About Having a Parent in Prison or Jail—For Kids Ages
Six and Older” are provided. Diane Hagen, social worker
and Parent/Family Program Coordinator, visits with every
offender entering Shakopee and outlines visitation
procedures. Visitation is encouraged to help offender
mothers restructure and preserve the family unit during
their incarceration. Diane Hagen leads several parent
education and support groups.
Procedures
The Visiting Room (with space for 60) is provided for
family members and other visitors. There are
accommodations for infants and toddlers. Visits may be
arranged two or three times a week. There are a few
special visiting programs: children under the age of 12
may visit overnight on Fridays; older children may visit
for a day, once a month. Both programs demand good
behavior on the part of  inmate mothers.
The following guidelines exist for visitation with children:
• It is usually the inmate mother’s responsibility to
arrange visitation by contacting the custodian of
the child: the relative/foster care provider/child
protection worker.
• The escort must be on an approved list, if they
are taking part in the visit.
• Under special circumstances, a therapist or child
protection worker may recommend against visiting
(e.g. inmate mother’s deep depression/episode of
serious mental disorder).
• If visitation is denied, inmate mothers, depending
on the circumstances, may appeal to the court.
• Privacy in general visiting is not allowed.
• Permission for supervised visitation (with child
protection staff, guardians ad litem, etc.), with
responsibility for observational notes can be
arranged during non-visiting times.
Restrictive Procedures: The Issue of Contraband
A large portion of offender mothers are imprisoned for
drug-related offenses, therefore, several rules enforce
limitations of physical contact.
• Children pass through safety metal detectors.
• Once inside the visiting room, children cannot
leave (e.g. children may not leave to go to the toilet
and then return).
• In the visiting room, young children may sit close
to the inmate mother and embrace. But children
over the age of 12 must sit opposite from their
mother—approximately five feet away. Physical
touching is not allowed except for a brief hug before
and after the visit.
• “Kissing on the lips” carries the punishment of
halting contact visitation for three months.
CASCW Practice Notes, Issue No. 13, January 2003, Page 6
Sources: Interview with Diane Hagen, LICSW, Parent/Family Program
Coordinator, Minnesota Correctional Facility, Shakopee, December 10,
2002.
Carole Gesme, with consultation with Michele Kopfmann (1993). Help for
kids! Understanding your feelings about having a parent in prison or jail—for kids
ages six and older.  For information contact Pine Tree Press, 4036 Kerry
Court, Minnetonka  MN 55345, (612) 938-9163.
For Further Reading
Katz, P.C. (1998). Supporting families and
children of mothers in jail: An integrated
child welfare and criminal justice strategy.
Child Welfare, 77(5), 495-511.
Smith, B.E. & Elstein, S.G. (ABA Center on
Children and the Law); Laszlo, A.T.,
Akomoto, M.C., Ayres, M.B., & Smith, J.B.
(Circle Solutions, Inc.). (December, 1994).
Children on hold: Improving the response to children
whose parents are arrested and incarcerated. Final
report submitted to The Children’s Bureau,
Administration on Children, Youth and
Families, U.S. Department of  Health and
Human Services. Washington, DC.
Wright, L.E. & Seymour, C.B. (2000).
Working with children and families separated by
incarceration: A handbook for child welfare agencies.
Washington, DC: CWLA Press.
Issues for Consideration
The Permanency Plan
For children under eight, the six-month limit for
permanency planning is problematic.  At Shakopee,
there are a range of  services such as substance
abuse, mental health, and sex offender treatment
that may not be available in a timely way for case
planning.    Consequently, flexibility is required,
but is generally not addressed. (The Adoption and
Safe Families Act, 1997, allows courts to terminate
parental rights, if a child is in foster care for 15
months out of any 22-month period.)
TPR
When termination of  parental rights is imminent,
a judge has the power to order visits and frequency.
At Shakopee, the final visit is described as an
anguishing event. The offender mothers are
counseled: “Give permission for your child to be
happy with another family.” A peer support group
for offender mothers is available to cope with the
finality of TPR. How judges deal with TPR and
offender mothers is not well known. The
responsibility in a child protection system to
respond to a child’s trauma in a termination
procedure (TPR) has not been standardized.
Adoption
Offender mothers hope for an “open adoption”
possibility. This would assure having pictures and
messages of growth, development, and
achievements. Occasionally this occurs, but open
adoptions are not uniformly discussed with
adoptive parents when the mother is a long-term
inmate.
CASCW Practice Notes, Issue No. 13, January 2003, Page 7
“Children of women offenders
are not receiving services and
are suffering trauma and
separation.”
Source: The Honorable Karen Asphaug, Judge, First Judicial
District, Hastings, Minnesota (September 19-20, 2000).  The
women offender’s symposium.  Minnesota Correctional Facility,
Shakopee and the Department of Correction, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Acknowledgements
http://ssw.che.umn.edu/cascw
205 Peters Hall
1404 Gortner Avenue
St. Paul, MN  55108
612-624-4231
This edition of Practice Notes reflects the contributions of numerous
individuals in county and state human services.  We especially
appreciate the assistance of  Judy Pilz, Supervisor, Child Services &
Adoption, Hennepin County; Dan Capouch, Program Manager, who
arranged a meeting with the Child Services Unit Supervisors in
Hennepin County Children, Family and Adult Services; Kay Telling
Huisen, Family Focus Director, Reuben Lindh Family Services; and
Diane Hagen, Parent/Family Coordinator, Minnesota Correctional
Facility, Shakopee.
Editor for Practice Notes :
Esther Wattenberg, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
Research Assistants:
Jennifer Menke, M.S.W. & M.P.P. Candidate
with assistance from Alene Roeglin, M.S.W. Candidate
Anne Jin Soo Preston, Designer & Executive Adminstrative Specialist,
          CASCW,  School of Social Work
CASCW Practice Notes are produced
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in Child Welfare and supported by
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