The well-being of their children is extremely important for parents, particularly those in Orange County, California. This is why family law and divorce courts base their decisions on the best interests of the child for all legal issues that concerns the children involved. However, there are certain circumstances that put children at risk, such as domestic violence. In cases like this, the child custody process during a divorce may be affected as well.
Based on the information provided by the California Court system, domestic violence is a big issue for parents dealing with the child custody process. For one, domestic violence or any related situation is one factor that is considered when determining the best interests of the child during a parent’s divorce. If either parent has a background or has been proven to exhibit abusive behavior towards the other parent or the child, the chances of that parent winning the custody of the child is slim. Guaranteeing the safety of the child will be the priority when creating a parenting plan.
But that does not mean that the parent will not have any access to the child. The court may order supervised visitation. Supervised visitations refer to a child custody setting in which a parent who has been involved in domestic violence or neglect has access to their child through a neutral third party. The duration of the supervised visitation, and where the visits will take place, will depend upon the court’s decision.
There are many reasons why the court may grant supervised visitation to a supposedly abusive parent. Supervised visitation may serve an opportunity for both parents to address some issues, and reintroduce the parent to a child after having no contact for a long time. Supervised visitation is ordered in child custody cases involving the mental illness of a parent, a parental threat of abduction and child abuse or neglect by one parent.
Source: California Courts, “Supervised Visitation,” Accessed on March 10, 2015
