Testimonials
As a child-welfare professional for the past 10 years, I know the importance of a safe, family-friendly and engaging atmosphere for child/family visits in the midst of an unstable family situation. Treehouse Safe Exchange & Training Center not only provides a center that allows genuine, natural family interaction, but also provides parental coaching intended to help identify and correct possible issues that may keep families apart longer than necessary.
Rhea and her staff are highly trained to not only create a safe environment for children and families, but also to provide coaching, tools and resources to parents so family connections can be strengthened. For those families in the child-welfare system, the services provided can be crucial in their ability to meet the requirements set by the court and have their children returned successfully to their home. I wish all of our parents could have the benefit of Treehouse services!
–Rebal Taylor, Casa
Treehouse provides a safe, consistent, and patient environment for parents and children to have court-ordered, supervised visitation. Parents receive parenting lessons and feedback as they love on their children and cope with the many struggles in their lives. Treehouse also gives siblings a chance to spend time together regularly as they work through being separated in their placements. As a foster parent, I have interacted with Treehouse and parents during many visitation opportunities.
CPS cases are most successful when there is a team approach, and Treehouse encourages that whenever possible. Treehouse has the best interest of every child and every family in mind as it develops relationships and aims to rebuild families broken by the hardships they have faced in a difficult world.
– April Hampton, Foster Parent
Treehouse is helpful with my cases by offering more than supervision during visits. There is the ability to incorporate parenting coaching while the children are present to allow parents to grow in their skills and abilities. Abilene has few resources willing to do parenting training with the children present after the children were removed from care. This is a huge gap in services for Abilene that Treehouse helps fill with their limited personnel. This training expands beyond any curriculum that parents might be asked to watch or read. It can be tailored towards that parent or child’s needs and is based on actual observations rather than parents perceived weaknesses.
We are able to get an accurate picture of how the parents are progressing and if there are areas of concern that need to be further addressed with how the visits are going. It is a neutral location that allows workers the freedom to attend and observed through closed-circuit camera for a first hand observation without interfering with the visit or getting the “staged” actions parents sometimes bring out when workers are present. Rhea takes a personal interest in helping each parent be the best version of a parent they can be. While parents may resist checking a box on a family plan, they are generally eager to spend time with their children while we can continue to help them improve in a less intrusive manner.
– Elizabeth Scott, 2Ingage
While working with treehouse on one of my current cases, Rhea was able to teach the parents about child safety and how to care for an infant. She was able to get and keep the parents involved and motivated and it has now paid off. The same parents now have another child and are able to care for him without CPS intervention.
– Caseworker
Coming into the system, I had no idea how to be a mother. All I remember from the first couple of months were being terrified to ask the wrong questions. As a teen mom raising my daughter alone, I had no idea what I was doing, but now I understand the importance of many things. Treehouse cared, and now I can be a better mom. I am thankful for Treehouse; they have changed my life and my child’s.
– Treehouse Mom
Just wanted to say ‘Thank You’ for all the stuff you have taught me with working with my daughter and working with me to be a better parent, and for showing me that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. The program you have is great. I would recommend the program to anyone that needs help or wants the help.
– Treehouse Dad
