In 1997, there were 15 supervised visitation programs in Florida, but now there are over 40, serving over 40,000 visits in 2002. These programs provide a safe place for noncustodial parents to see their children in court cases involving custody issues or domestic violence. Every judicial circuit in Florida now has at least one program, but judges and lawyers still want more of these programs. This article gives an overview of the growth and current issues of supervised visitation and exchange programs in Florida and across the country. In Florida, there are certain rules and standards that supervised visitation and exchange programs have to follow. The purpose of these standards is to make sure that noncustodial parents can have a safe and structured visit with their kids. The Florida Supreme Court has made it mandatory for local programs to agree to follow these standards. The court also endorses the idea of supervised visitation as an important part of a good family court system. Some circuits in Florida don’t have agreements with these local programs, even though judges still send cases to them. Supervised visitation and exchange are important for kids and families in tough situations, especially when there’s domestic violence. The American Bar Association says letting family members supervise visits isn’t enough to keep everyone safe. They want courts to find safe places for supervised visits. Other states are also supporting supervised visitation programs. Florida is a leader in this and they have the most programs out of any state. The Florida Department of Children and Families helps these programs with funding and support. Supervised visitation programs are really important for families going through tough times. Sometimes, things can get really difficult and dangerous during visits. Some parents might show up to visits drunk or high, break the rules, threaten staff or other parents, or even get into physical fights. It’s a big issue that needs better training for staff and more security at visitation sites. These incidents happen not just in Florida, but all over the country. Supervised visitation programs often deal with tricky situations, especially when involving domestic violence. Some parents try to get information from their kids about the other parent, leave early to wait for the other parent, or send scary messages through the child. In one case, a dad brought his daughter flowers and said she’d only get them when she’s dead. These programs also have to handle cases of child sexual abuse, where parents may bring reminders of the abuse to visits. This can be really distressing for the kids and the staff at the program. Supervised visitation programs need to prioritize security, training, and referrals. Having law enforcement on-site during visits, instead of just security devices, can make visits safer. Staff turnover is a problem, so ongoing training for staff is crucial. The Clearinghouse on Supervised Visitation has a training manual for providers, but there’s no guarantee that all programs use it. It’s important for staff and volunteers to have the right training and experience to work with the families referred by the court. A survey found that many judges don’t know much about supervised visitation programs. But the good news is that the judges want more training on how to use these programs better. To help judges make better decisions, they should give all the important information about a case when they refer it to a supervised visitation program. This includes things like a history of abuse and any legal orders. The supervised visitation programs should also be able to get information from the Department of Children and Families about abuse cases. After a case is referred to a supervised visitation program, there should be a way for the court to know if something goes wrong during the visits. This way, everyone can work together to keep kids safe. The legislature needs to get involved in creating laws for supervised visitation programs. The chief justice asked for this in 1999, but the bills introduced since then have not passed. Without laws and oversight, these programs may not be safe or well-trained. Until the government gets involved, these issues won’t be properly addressed. The lack of consistent funding for supervised visitation programs is causing problems and making it hard for the programs to stay open. Many programs rely on small amounts of money from different sources, and only a few receive federal funds. The amount of federal funding available is not enough to support all the programs that need it. As a result, the programs are struggling to pay their staff and keep their doors open, and they are becoming more dependent on volunteers who may not have the necessary expertise. This instability in funding is making it difficult for the programs to provide the services that families need. When parents are fighting over custody of their child, they often use records from supervised visits as evidence. But these visits are very controlled, and the rules are made clear to the parents. Later, these visits are used to show that the parent would do well with unsupervised visits, even though that might not be true. The people who supervise these visits are not experts in mental health, so their opinions should not be used as proof of how a parent would act without supervision. In the future, there will likely be legal battles over whether this evidence should be allowed in court. Supervised visitation involves family law and social services, and there are concerns about the liability of the visitation providers. Many programs have been threatened with lawsuits by parents involved in custody disputes. This, combined with high-conflict cases and reliance on volunteers, could deter people from working at these programs. Florida is a leader in supervised visitation, but without legal protection for these programs, they may not be able to continue helping children. Some experts and organizations recommend using supervised visitation for kids in custody cases involving domestic violence. Some states have specific rules and standards for supervised visitation. This is to ensure children’s safety when spending time with a parent who has been violent. There is also a call for more state funding for supervised visitation programs. The American Bar Association and other experts support this approach. Some states have laws requiring supervised visitation in domestic violence cases. Recent news articles also discuss the need for more supervised visitation sites to protect children. If you want more information, you can check out a survey on the topic at a website called http://familyvio.ssw.fsu.edu. In 1999, Chief Justice Major Harding wrote to Toni Jennings and John Thrasher about the Supervised Visitation Network in Florida. The network provides supervised visitation for families in domestic violence situations. Federal funds were given to several programs in Florida to support their work. A law was passed in Florida to support these programs.
Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/floridas-supervised-visitation-programs-the-next-phase/
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