Going through situations where a child doesn’t live with both parents can be stressful for everyone involved. In many situations, parents are able to make their child custody arrangements work well, allowing both parents to spend quality time alone with the child. However, when there are extenuating circumstances, you often need the help of supervised visitation services. Before you ask for supervised visits, though, it is important to know which situations warrant it.
A Danger to the Child
If one parent is a physical or psychological danger to the child, you may have a good reason to ask for supervised visitation only. This will protect the child because someone will always be around to stop the behavior or remove the child before it becomes harmful to him. However, it is important to remember you must prove the other parent is a danger to the child. In situations where your ex has been abusive to you, it does not automatically qualify him for supervised visits.
Long Separation
When one parent has been separated from the child for a period of time, supervised visitation services are sometimes used. Whether the parent chose not to be a part of the child’s life or was away for other reasons, it is best for the child not to throw him into a situation where he may feel abandoned and frightened. Getting him used to the other parent through supervised visits that gradually change over to unsupervised will be beneficial for the child.
Parental Alienation
Some parents do everything they can to alienate their child from the other parent. This often includes speaking poorly about the other parent and encouraging certain behaviors around the other parent. When the courts step in for these situations, it is incredibly likely they will order supervised visitation for the parent who was trying to alienate the other. It is important for children to have both parents in their lives. With parental alienation, this is often the only way to accomplish that.
Supervised visitation isn’t something that is easy to get. However, there are specific situations that almost always warrant the use of supervised visitation services. Whether you can prove the other parent is a danger to the child, the parent and child have been separated for a long period of time or you are going through parental alienation, a supervised visitation service will ensure the child maintains a relationship with both parents without putting anyone at risk, physically or emotionally.