Can I have my child’s other parent’s visitation time supervised by the court in Wayne County?
For people that have minor children, the biggest concerns they have when preparing to file for a divorce or custody proceeding revolve around the children. How will the court handle custody, what is the appropriate parenting time schedule, how much will the child support be, who will provide the health insurance are all questions that must be considered.
The concerns become that much greater when there is no trust between the parents or one of the parents has issues with drugs, alcohol, violence or mental health. In these cases extra care must be taken in crafting the appropriate custody and parenting time orders. This blog is intended to provide a simplified overview of supervised parenting time.
How Do You Get A Court Order For Supervised Parenting Time?
If there are concerns that may harm the child either directly or indirectly through unsupervised parenting time, it’s likely that the court will mandate supervised visits with the other parent. When parents are not living together at the time a divorce or custody complaint is initiated, it’s often advisable to submit a motion for temporary or interim custody, parenting time, and support. Following the submission of the motion, a court hearing will be set, during which either the Friend of the Court or the judge will hear arguments before issuing an order that specifies the conditions for parenting time and support, potentially including mandatory supervision. This order will remain in effect until the case is resolved and a final judgment is made.
How Long Can Supervised Parenting Time Be Ordered?
The court will typically order that the supervision shall be required for a set period of time after which it will review the matter and determine whether supervision is still required. The restrictions may be initially required for a relatively shorter term, like 60-90 days and if the parent is able to handle parenting time consistently without problems. then the court may remove the restrictions or grant additional supervised parenting time. If the parent is not able to complete the parenting time or that parent’s issues are severe, then the court may simply order supervised parenting time and put the burden on that parent to file the appropriate motions and prove that the restrictions should be lifted.
In What Situations is Supervised Parenting Time Recommended?
If you are in a marriage where you feel your children are in danger of coming into harm’s way, then you may want to have the court order supervised parenting time when your child is with their other parent. While the other parent may not necessarily wish to harm their own children, there may be circumstances where your child could come into harm’s way due to a parent’s lifestyle choices.
If your child’s other parent is an addict or abuses alcohol and other drugs, then your child could be subject to potential drug-related violence, drunk driving accidents, or other mishaps that occur when someone is under the influence of substances. This is obviously unacceptable, and may warrant supervised visitation.
If your child’s other parent suffers from a mental health condition, this can also cause concern, as decisions made can and will impact your child. While it isn’t the fault of the other parent that they have a mental health condition, it is also not fair to your child to subject them to negative situations. Conditions such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, major depression and more can all be grounds to seek supervised parenting time.