Safe Haven Supervised Visitation & Safe Exchange
Safe Haven Supervised Visitation & Exchange Program is designed to supprt families when the non-custodial parent has been court ordered to participate in supervised parenting time and exchanges. This program is designed to help survivors of domestic violence and their children in a safe and supportive environment.

Myths on Children and Domestic Violence

"My child is too young to understand domestic violence so he/she is not affected."

The Truth is...There is no age at which a child is immune to the effects of domestic violence. Young children are deeply affected by witnessing domestic violence and demonstrate a remarkable capacity for memory of traumatic events. Young children may not fully understand, but they can be frightened, confused and anxious. Young children exposed to domestic violence may fail to form secure attachments and may even suffer failure to thrive.

"We don't fight in front of our children so they don't know the violence is occuring."

The Truth is...Many parents believe that they can hide domestic violence from their children. Unfortunately, that is not what children living in these homes report. Research suggests that between 80 and 90 percent of children are aware of the violence in their home. Even if children don't see the violence, they hear screams, see injuries, and see the repercussions.

 

"The violent parent can be a good parent and we need to stay together for our children no matter what the level of violence is ."

The Truth is...Batterers are responsible for the exposure of children to domestic violence. By abusing the other parent, a batterer ignores the needs of the child. The batterer's behavior undermines the other parent, sets a poor example of conflict resolution and emphasizes the use of pwer to forcefully get one's own needs met at the expense of someone else. The batterer is teaching the child these behaviors.