In New Jersey, non-custodial parents typically have visitation rights. Visitation helps the child to build and maintain a healthy bond with their parent. Both parents playing an active role in the upbringing of the child is generally deemed to be in the child’s best interests.
Nonetheless, straightforward visitation may not always be a viable option. In some cases, supervised visitation may be necessary. What is supervised visitation and when might it be required?
Visitation in a controlled environment
Supervised visits can happen in designated facilities or a residential setting. What matters is that visits are supervised by another responsible adult. This adult can step in should the visit become too much for the child or parent.
When might supervised visitation be needed?
There are several reasons why supervised visitation may be ordered. In some cases, a parent and child may have become estranged. They may have only just found out that they are biologically related. Supervised visitation allows estranged family members to establish a bond at a pace that all parties are comfortable with.
Supervised visitation may also be necessary if the court has been presented with evidence of any type of abuse. This may include physical abuse, emotional abuse or substance abuse from the non-custodial parent. While the court can terminate parental rights, this is quite rare. Instead, supervised visitation is often used until the non-custodial parent can prove that they are up to non-supervised visits. Most importantly, the court must deem non-supervised visits to be in the best interests of the child.
Supervised visitation is just one of several potential outcomes in a custody case. As a parent, it’s important to seek legal guidance as you navigate your case.