What is supervised or restriced visitation?
When a non-custodial parent has a history of violent or destructive behavior, especially toward the child, the court often requires that visitation between the parent and the child be supervised or restricted. Visitation may also be restricted or supervised if there is an incident or history of domestic violence. Supervised visitation means that an adult, most often someone other than the custodial parent, must be present at all times during the visit. Sometimes the supervisor will be a friend or family member, if both parents agree. If the parents cannot agree, the court will usually appoint a supervisor, or may order that the visitation take place at a neutral supervised visitation facility. This way, parents are able to pick up and drop off the child without seeing one another or interacting with one another. Supervised visits may be helpful in establishing a regular, dependable visitation schedule. They may also be useful to the court, because often these facilities can provide a w
