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Candidate Statement

Samantha Alvarez Benowitz

New York, New York

During your 2+ years of membership in SVN, describe how you have utilized your member benefits. (Networking, training, credential, etc.)

Over the past 16 months, I attended and presented at the SVN conference in Newport Beach, CA. I was also trained in the Nurturing Parent curriculum and have scheduled some of my staff for the training.

Describe your experience in the field of supervised visitation/parenting time or relevant experience that intersects with the field of supervised visitation?

I have been in the field of social work for close to 20 years and worked with underserved communities throughout that time. Most of my experience has been in the child welfare field, and I have supervised countless visits between children and their parents. In my current position as the Director of Clinical Services at The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, I oversee our therapeutic supervised visitation program. In this program, we provide supervised visitation to court ordered families. Our program is free of cost to program participants, and our services are provided by licensed social workers.

SVN’s vision statement is: “The Supervised Visitation Network champions a world in which all vulnerable families have access to safe and quality visitation services.” Discuss your commitment to better outcomes for families in consideration of racial, cultural, socio-economic, gender equity and ability/disability.

I currently work with an underserved population in NYC, and the majority of the families I and my colleagues work with identify as BIPOC. Since joining the NYSPCC in 2022, I have been committed to reducing barriers to treatment, including increasing services in other languages, and reducing our intake process to allow for easier access to services. I also have hired a diverse group of therapists, the majority of whom identify as BIPOC, and the majority of whom are bilingual.

What do you envision as the primary function of the position you are seeking and what skills, talent and experiences do you have that would most benefit SVN (and ultimately the membership) if elected to the position?

I am seeking to gain knowledge about national trends in supervised visitation, as well as best practices that I can bring back to the staff at the NYSPCC. I believe that my experience in therapeutic supervised visitation, as well as with the NYC courts and other social services systems, will benefit the board as well as the members of SVN. I was presenter at the 2023 SVN conference, and I believe that my presentation was well received by the members who attended.

Regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, what strategy(s) would you utilize to effectively engage in dialogue with the membership?

I am committed to DEI and have been a member of the DEI committees at both the NYSPCC as well as at my former employer, Covenant House New York. I am also the VP of DEI at a public secondary school in NYC. I believe that it is important to look at supervised visitation through a DEI lens which I believe involves looking at the language we are using, who we are staffing our programs with as well as looking at systemic racism and how it has impacted our child welfare and legal systems.

In what local, national, state, or provincial organizations (coalitions, groups, or task forces) outside of SVN or your current employer are you involved that would enhance the Networks goals?

The NYSPCC is currently a member of APSAC and NASW. I am also currently a fellow in the Silberman School of Social Work's Belle and George Strell Executive Leadership Program.