This is the next post in my series on Melbourne, Florida child custody cases which involve supervised visitation. My last article explained the situations in which Courts order visitation to be supervised. It is important to understand that how Judges handle a case will always depend on the specific facts of the situation. The more extreme the circumstances then the more likely a Judge is to order ongoing supervision. In this article I will stress what parents should expect from an order requiring supervision. I cannot stress enough the fact that you should call a child custody attorney if you find yourself in a legal dispute.
In most circumstances the Court will order that a third-party serve as a supervisor during a scheduled visitation time. A typical Order may allow a parent to spend a few hours with his or her child each week and that such visits be supervised by someone such as an Aunt or a Grandparent. The Order will spell out when the visits are to occur, who may or may not serve as a supervisor, and it may spell out where the visitations are to occur. It is very rare for the other parent to serve as the supervisor as such an arrangement may lead to hostility during a visit.
It is important that the parent receiving supervised visitation make his or her time all about quality interaction with the child. It is not appropriate to discuss the current legal situation with the child, to demean the other parent, or to engage in other conduct that is against the child’s best interests. If a supervised parent engages in such conduct then he or she runs the risk of having their visitation suspended altogether. At a minimum, such conduct would make the Court less likely to increase the amount of visitation time or to lift the requirements of supervision. If you have questions about how to handle a supervised setting then it is best to speak with a child custody lawyer.
As a Melbourne family law attorney I regularly handle change of custody cases which involve requests for supervised visitation. It is important that you be represented in Court regardless of which side of the issue you are on. Counsel can assist a parent in gaining supervision so that a child is protected from a dangerous situation and, likewise, a legal representative can protect the rights of a parent facing false accusations. If you require assistance then contact my office today to schedule an initial consultation. We also service clients in the Brevard County cities of Titusville, Cocoa, Palm Bay, Grant, Valkaria, and Rockledge, as well as in the Indian River County areas of Fellsmere, Sebastian, Vero Beach, Indian River Shores, and Orchid.