There may be certain times during a child custody dispute in California when a parent will only be granted supervised visitation rights with a child. This is based on the individual situation, the issues at play and the best interests of the child. Understanding the various factors that are taken into account and how the state deals with this is a key part of handling it appropriately and making sure that the child is safe and the parents are satisfied with the circumstances.
In California, the main objective is to care for the child. When there is a custody or visitation dispute in family court and the child's safety is at issue, the judge will issue the order that there will only be contact between the parent and child if there is a neutral third person present. This is supervised visitation. There are numerous reasons for this to be put into place, such as: the parent receiving visitation is being accorded the opportunity to address a particular issue; there is an attempt to reintroduce the child to the parent after there has been a significant absence; there was no relationship between the child and the parent and there is a desire to establish one; there have been domestic abuse allegations, child abuse, neglect or substance abuse in the past; there are worries regarding mental illness; or if there is fear over a potential child abduction.
It is up to the court to determine when the visits will take place and how long they will last. It is also possible that the court will dictate who the supervisor of the visitation will be and where the visitation will happen.
Those who are in the midst of a custody dispute or have other concerns have the right to consider requesting supervised visitation. To have a full understanding of the details of such a request and how to go about putting it into place, getting more information about cases involving custody and visitation can help.