A. Supervision in the case of parental separation:
When parents separate, the children most often will have primary residence with one parent and regularly spend time with the other. Visitation, contact, and access are words used to refer to post separation contact with the non-residential parent or another significant person, such as a grandparent, sibling, or other relative. When the courts feel it is appropriate, they may order that such visitation take place in the presence of a third party.
Monitored exchanges may be court ordered or arranged by the parent and are generally appropriate when there is no question about the safety of the child but when one or both parents do not feel safe or comfortable interacting directly with the other. It is always better for the child to not be put into a situation where he/she is exposed to the anger and conflict of the parents.
A. Supervision in the case of out-of-home placement:
When a child comes under the jurisdiction of child protective services and is removed from the home because of a risk of child abuse or neglect, it is usually important that the parent/child relationship continue. Child Protective Services generally provide these services while the child is in their custody. However, once the child is placed in the temporary or legal custody of a relative or third party the court and/or child protective services will likely defer this service to outside supervised visitation programs to provide visitation services.