Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Visitation Rights

When you and your partner decide to part ways, you’ll need to come to a child custody and visitation agreement that meets your family’s needs and is in the best interests of your children. Because Pennsylvania courts recognize the impact of parental support and contact on children’s development, they will almost always encourage both parents to have quality time with their children. You can organize your visitation schedule in a number of ways as you arrange your child custody agreement. Below, we discuss visitation rights in PA and how to reach a custody agreement that will work for your family.

What Is Visitation In PA?

In Pennsylvania, visitation is the right to see and spend quality time with your children. It is not, however, the right to remove the children from the control of the custodial parent. Visitation can be unsupervised or supervised.  Other forms of custody rights include primary custody, partial custody and shared custody.

Visitation Schedules And Custody Agreements

At first, it will be up to you and your child’s other parent to see if you can reach a custody agreement on your own. A child visitation schedule is a key part of any custody agreement. A strong custody agreement will generally consist of these components, depending on the unique circumstances of your case:

• A schedule that dictates where your children will reside during the week and on weekends and what time visitation begins and ends 
• A schedule of which parent will spend which holidays and vacations with children 
• Information regarding transportation of the children to and from visits 
• Opportunities for non-custodial parents to be involved with their children, such as at school and sporting events

As you work to build your custody agreement, you will want to keep in mind that non-custodial parents are almost always awarded visitation rights in Pennsylvania—except when they may be dangerous for the children.

Supervised Visitation

Supervised visitation is not something to be taken lightly. In Pennsylvania, supervised visitation can be granted when the non-custodial parent isn’t deemed ready to spend time alone with the children. This could be due to a history of domestic violence, child abuse, or drug or alcohol abuse, for example. Supervised visitation can take a couple of different forms. First, visits will need to be supervised by another adult. This person might be a neutral third party or a responsible relative who can document the parent’s behavior and ensure that the children’s wellbeing is protected. Once the supervisor has been secured, you will need to decide where the visits will take place. In some cases, courts may determine that visits need to take place at a controlled visitation center. This is often mandated when there is a history of child abuse or a risk that the parent will try to take the child. In many cases, however, supervised visitation can take place in a home. Whether you’re fighting for visitation rights or wondering what right your ex has to see your children, a child visitation lawyer in Pennsylvania can help.

Consult A Pennsylvania Child Visitation Lawyer

An experienced child visitation lawyer at Taybron Law Firm, LLC can help you protect your visitation rights in Pennsylvania and make sure your child’s well-being is always put first. Schedule a case review with our team today by completing the quick contact form below or calling our office at (412) 231-9786.