Different Types of Visitation Orders
Visitation: A parent who has the children less than half of the time has parenting time/time share with the children, also known as “visitation.” Generally, it helps the parents and children to have detailed visitation plans to prevent conflicts and confusion.
Supervised Visitation: This is used when the children’s safety and well-being require that visits with the other parent be supervised by you, another adult, or a professional agency. Supervised visitation is sometimes also used in cases where a child and a parent need time to become more familiar with each other, such as when a parent has not seen the child in a long time and they need to slowly get to know each other again.
No Visitation: This option is used when visiting with the parent, even with supervision, would be physically or emotionally harmful to the children. In these cases, it is not in the best interest of the children for the parent to have any contact with the children.
The Law on Deciding Custody and Visitation
Custody decisions are based on what is in the “best interest of the child.” To decide what is best for a child, the court may consider various factors, such as:
- The age of the child,
- The health of the child,
- The emotional ties between the parents and the child,
- The ability of the parents to care for the child,
- Any history of family violence or substance abuse, and
- The child’s ties to school, home, and his or her community.
Children benefit when their parents:
- Avoid conflict and any physical violence or verbal/emotional abuse.
- Handle rules and discipline in similar ways.
- Support appropriate and safe contact with grandparents and other extended family so the children do not experience a sense of loss.
- Are flexible so the children can take advantage of opportunities to participate in special family celebrations or events.
- Give as much advance notice as possible to the other parent about special occasions.
- Provide an itinerary of travel dates, destination, and ways that the children or parent can be reached when on vacation.
- Establish a workable “businesslike” method of communication.
- Plan their vacations around the children’s regularly-scheduled activities.
Children are harmed when their parents:
- Use physical violence or engage in verbal/emotional abuse.
- Make their children choose between their parents.
- Question their children about the other parent’s activities or relationships.
- Make promises they do not keep.
- Put down the other parent in the children’s presence or range of hearing.
- Discuss problems they are having with the other parent with the children or in the children’s range of hearing.
- Use the children as messengers, spies, or mediators.
- Withhold access to the children for reasons unrelated to safety concerns.