What Is Supervised Custody?

“Supervised Custody” – if you’ve been watching the news lately, this phrase has come up quite a bit. From the tragic death of a toddler in Brooklyn at the hands of his father just days before Christmas to a Louisiana man’s terrifying shooting spree last Friday, the term “Supervised Custody” has been thrown around quite a bit in news media recently.

If you’ve been living under a rock, both tragic stories involved bitter child custody battles where the Judge ordered supervised custody.

What Does Supervised Custody Status Mean

Supervised custody, or supervised visitation, means that a third party monitors a non-custodial parent during parenting time. The court chooses who manages the visits and specifies the time, length, and location.

Depending on the terms of the Custody Order, the supervisor may be a family member, a friend, or a neutral third party.

If the Court orders supervised visitation, it can be challenging for both parents. For the visiting parent, it can be uncomfortable being with their child in the presence of someone else, at least in the beginning. But patience and commitment will pay off.

Experts suggest that visiting parents first read and understand the court order. Your PA child custody attorney can answer any questions you may have.

Further, visiting parents should avoid discussing the court case during the visit with their child and avoid grilling the child about the other parent’s activities and relationships. Finally, visiting parents should arrive and depart for visits on time, saying only brief and cheerful goodbyes to their child when the visit is over.

Supervised visits can also be difficult for the custodial parent. If you’ve been tending to your child’s everyday needs for some time, you probably have a solid routine for your family that supervised visits may disrupt. But it’s important to remember that it’s in your child’s best interest to have a relationship with both of their parents.

Experts suggest that custodial parents do everything they can to support and encourage visits with the other parent. This includes explaining to your child where and when the visits will take place and answering any questions they may have.

As with all custody arrangements, things will go most smoothly if parents work together to facilitate the visits. If you’re struggling with supervised visitation in a child custody order, contact our office today to learn more about your rights and options.

Our experienced PA child custody lawyers can explain the custody process and provide advice tailored to your situation.