Understanding Supervised Parental Visitation In Illinois

 Posted on June 08, 2015 in Family Law

Supervised visitation is usually court ordered but may also be agreed to by the parties in question. If one parent is determined to be abusive, violent, on drugs, or in another way impaired that would potentially jeopardize the safety of the children, the court may order supervised visitation. Typically in such cases, a domestic order of protection or temporary restraining order is involved in the case. In other cases, the family court judge may determine that supervised visitation is in the best interest of the child if the visiting parent has had little to no contact with the child or if the child is an infant or under the age of three.

Supervised visitation means that a third party is involved and required to be present during the parent’s visitation with their children. The supervisor must be of adult age and is generally one of the following:

• Relative;
• Friend of the family;
• A professional representative of a public or private agency;
• A certified or court-appointed child visitation supervisor;
• Clergy.

The supervisor is tasked with observing the interactions of the parent and children and how they relate to each other. The supervisor has a mandate to ensure that parent-child interactions are safe and appropriate and that any visitation guidelines set by the court or agreed to by the parents are observed.

Challenges of Supervised Visitation

For the parent whose visits with their children must be supervised, this can be a challenging situation financially, logistically, and emotionally. When professional supervisors are utilized for the visitation, they are paid for their time and typically the parent under the supervision order is required to cover the expenses.

Friends and family members may often be willing to volunteer their time to supervise visits but this can present additional challenges in terms of scheduling and logistics. Additionally, supervisors who are friends or family member to do not typically issue reports on the visitations to the court. This can be a hindrance to the parent under the order being able to eventually petition for removal of the supervised visitation order.

Petitioning to End Supervised Visitation If the court determines that the parent under the supervision order is no longer a risk to his or her child's safety and, or that a healthy bond between parent and child has been fostered or restored, it may decide to end the supervision order. If you are a parent under a supervised visitation order who wishes to petition for removal of the order, please consult with  an experienced Geneva family law attorney. We understand the challenges you  may be facing and are prepared to help you protect your rights under the law.