Parents have a fundamental right to see and spend time with their children. But there are special situations where the court may forbid visitation or require supervised visitation.
At Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell, LLP, we know how important your children are to you. As your child visitation attorney, we will do everything in our power to help defend your rights and your children’s best interests. We have experience helping parents in all kinds of situations. Whether you are concerned about losing your own visitation rights, or are worried about what will happen when your kids visit your ex, we are dedicated to helping you.
What is supervised visitation?
The guiding principle of California courts is to protect the best interest of the children. In some custody situations, the court may decide that there is a need to ensure a safe environment for developing or maintaining the parent-child bond. In these situations, the court may restrict visits to a certain time and place where a neutral third-party can observe and supervise.
Supervised visitation might take place in the home of a relative or at a neutral venue, where a trained, authorized professional can observe the visit. In other cases, the court may decide that visits should take place at a visitation center that provides a safe, neutral environment for a supervised visit.
In both situations, the court-ordered observer must always be present, listening, and paying close attention to the parent and child. The observer can even interrupt or end a visit, if necessary. Although these services are not free, the fees are often on a sliding scale based on income.
Having a stranger watching your every move might seem like a huge invasion of your privacy, but keep in mind that the judges are always trying to act with the best interest of the child in mind. And as important as the parent-child bond is, the child’s safety will always be their number one priority.
When will a judge order supervised visitation?
The judge might require supervised visitation when an allegation of abuse has been made or there is a concern that the parent might abduct the child.
Another reason for supervision might be when a parent has a substance abuse problem or a mental illness. Rather than isolate a parent from their child while he or she is working out their issues, the child and parent have an opportunity to bond.
Sometimes a parent has not had any prior relationship with the child or has been absent for a long time and not had much contact. In these cases, the neutral environment of a supervised visit provides a safe place for the parent and child to develop or reestablish their relationship.
Modifying visitation
Having a neutral observer can also be helpful when parents seek to modify the visitation arrangement later, because it isn’t a “he said/she said” situation. You will have a documented record of how the visits are going.
Custody battles are stressful for everyone involved, but supervised visitation can help bring some calm and security to a situation. If you have more questions about supervised visitation or modifying your child custody agreement, contact the child custody experts at Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell, LLP. Call 909-482-1422 or email info@parents4children.com for your initial consultation today.
