Family Reunification

The Abe Brown Ministries Family Reunification program evolved from the collaborative Children in Hillsborough of Incarcerated Parents (CHIPS).

CHIPS works to connect resources and systems of support to meet the unique needs of children, ages birth to 14 years old, of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated parents with the hopes of eliminating generational incarceration.

Scope of Services: Video Visitation

The video visitation portion of Abe Brown Ministries’ Family Reunification Program allows you to schedule an appointment every Monday between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to bring your children to our office in Tampa, where the caregiver and the children will be able to visit with the incarcerated parent via video conference.

The video visits last for at least 15 minutes and are separate from other families.

Every video visit must be monitored by an Abe Brown Ministries’ staff member.

There is no cost to the caregiver for video visits
Financial assistance is available (for qualified applicants)
Case management and community resource referrals
Counseling and emotional support by Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Light refreshments during visits
Linkage to supportive services, targeting caregivers and children to help strengthen family dynamics

Requirements

Must have children residing in Hillsborough County
Children must be from birth to 14 years old
Must be willing to complete necessary paperwork
Must have parental rights of child
Child must not be the victim of your crime

The Family Reunification program also works in conjunction with Abe Brown Ministries’ Reentry+ program to provide clients with counseling, supportive visits, community resource referrals and linkage to supportive services targeting caregivers and children to help strengthen parental and family bonds.