When you and your spouse enter the divorce process, the first thing on your mind is likely to be settling child custody issues. You’re aware that your co-parent has some problems at the moment that make unsupervised visits unsuitable.
If you are planning to include supervised visitation in your parenting agreement, then the court will need to sign off on it. Even if you are not advocating for this, there are occasions when the court will step in and order supervised visitation anyway. When might supervised visitation be necessary?
When a parent has been absent
You and your spouse may have been separated for a long time, but you’re only just getting around to the legal processes of divorce and child custody. For various reasons, your spouse was not around during the early years of your child’s life, but they want to be involved now. In such circumstances, both you and the courts may feel that supervised visitation is best until the estranged parent and child begin to form a bond.
Health issues
Your spouse may be struggling with an illness that has decreased their mobility, and thus, their ability to actively parent. Supervised visitation is often temporary and it can be used when one parent is ill. It means that there are responsible parties there to step in if the visit becomes too much for either the parent or child.
It’s all about the child’s security
Custody proceedings always center around the best interests of the child. To make your case as a parent, it is advisable to seek some legal guidance.