Scott Law Blog

Understanding Parenting Time and Visitation

For every parent, spending quality time with the child is very important. For divorcing parents, parenting time and visitation plans are what allow them time together with the child. Therefore, it is vital that a divorcing parent understands how to get visitation rights and looks to family law attorneys in Phoenix AZ as a source of great help. There are many kinds of parenting time and visitation plans, the following includes general information on a few common types.

Supervised Visitation

In certain instances, the court will order supervised visitation.  This means that in addition to the visiting parent, another responsible adult will be a part of the visit for the entire duration. Depending on the situation, the court may allow the parent who does not have the custody to choose a person to act as the supervisor, such as the grandparent of the child. In some cases, the parent might be asked to visit the child at a particular location to allow the court-appointed designee to supervise the visit or may require a supervising agency to conduct the supervision.

Unsupervised Parenting Time

A parent who has unsupervised visits with the child can take the child to his/her own home or any other appropriate location to spend quality time. However, this has to be within the parenting time or visitation schedule. In certain cases, restrictions are placed on the parent exercising their parenting time. For instance, if the baby is too young, the parent many not be allowed to have the child overnight until the infant becomes accustomed to bottle-feeding.

Virtual Visitation

When parents reside a long distance from each other, it is important for regular phone or video chatting to occur.  With Skype, FaceTime and other forms of video chatting available, the internet makes it easier for parents to visit with their children even at a great distance.

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