FULTON – Oswego County Opportunities (OCO) recently received a mini grant from the Oswego City-County Youth Bureau and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.
The grant provided OCO’s Supervised Visitation Center with a selection of healthy snacks and craft supplies for children and their parents to enjoy while at the center.
OCO’s Supervised Visitation Center provides a safe place for children during supervised visitation with non-custodial family members. Using a comprehensive approach, the program is designed to increase supervised visitation and exchange services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, and child abuse.
The grant is in recognition of OCO’s Supervised Visitation program’s efforts to ensure the safe return of children to their biological parent, when possible to do so, in child welfare cases while providing the families with needed supports to be successful. The center is equipped with three visitation rooms with toys, games, puzzles, and books for all ages, as well as a fully supplied kitchen for visiting families to use. The center is able to serve families with special needs and can accommodate larger families or children with more than one visiting party. Services at the center are offered Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
“We’re fortunate to receive this mini grant and grateful to the Oswego-City Youth Bureau and the NYS Office of Children and Family Services for recognizing the work we do at our Supervised Visitation Center,” said OCO Comprehensive Care Coordinator Karen Merrill. “The snacks and craft supplies help the children feel relaxed, gives them something to focus on during the visit, and gives them a sense of accomplishment and happiness when the art project is completed.”
