The idea of having time with your children while you are being supervised or observed is likely unsettling, but a court can order supervised parenting time to parents under when it believes that it will best serve the children.
Supervised parenting time happens when a court thinks there have been, or there could be behaviors that could be threatening to the parent’s children. Some things that can lead to a court ordered supervised parenting time are physical, emotional, or substance abuse. Most of these cases resolve in time, and the court will eventually end the supervision mandate. But its a process.
We often see supervised parenting time come up in cases involving Children’s Protective Services (CPS), such as allegations of child abuse. If Michigan CPS substantiates the claims of child abuse or child neglect, for supervised parenting time to end, there will need to be evidence shown that any abusive tendencies have ended. If you’ve dealt with CPS like we have, you know that it can be difficult to prove anything to them. Understand that Michigan’s family court judges will err on the side of caution. If they believe that some harm might come to a child, for any reason, supervised parenting time is on the table. Most commonly, we see allegations of substance abuse by a parent. Other times, there is physical discipline or alienating conduct.
This is why it is important to have an aggressive mid-Michigan family attorney on your side from the beginning of any dispute, whether it be divorce or a CPS investigation. Our attorneys at The Kronzek Firm will fight for you to help avoid supervised parenting time entirely when possible, or if the problem is the other parent, we can advocate for a court order for supervised parenting time.
Who Does the Supervising?
One way to accomplish supervised parenting time is to have all parties come together at a center such as MSU College of Law Chance at Childhood Clinic or at Child and Family Charities. These organizations exist so that a third party can supervise the parenting time. This unbiased third-party observer can make it easier to return to unsupervised parenting time. Some Friend of the Court offices have a list of approved parenting time supervisors. Other times, CPS supervises the parenting time. Some judges will allow a responsible family member to supervise and observed the parenting time.
A more natural way to approach supervised parenting time is to hire a licensed mental health therapist to be with the family during the parenting time. This approach means you can have supervised parenting time take place at home, a community center, or a park. This route also has the benefit of an impartial third party in a neutral setting, making it potentially easier to return to your normal parenting time.
Although it may seem easier to have a family member or friend supervise, it can create complications. Not only is there likely a bias, but it can impact the relationship between the child being supervised and the person supervising. We always suggest that you approach supervised parenting time in the best possible way to help your family return to normal.
At The Kronzek Firm, our goal is always to help your family return to as normal a situation as possible. We understand that the idea of supervised parenting time can be frightening, but as your attorney, we are committed to helping you work through obstacles that may come up in your custody, divorce, paternity or family law case. Contact us today at (517)-886-1000 for a free initial consultation. Our lawyers have helped thousands of client over the decades. We can help you too.