A Comprehensive Blueprint for a Crucial Service: Florida's New Supervised Visitation Strategy

21 Pages Posted: 24 May 2009

See all articles by Nat Stern

Nat Stern

Florida State University - College of Law

Karen Oehme

Florida State University College of Social Work, Institute for Family Violence Studies

Date Written: May 19, 2009

Abstract

Supervised visitation is contact between a noncustodial parent and his/her child that is overseen by a trained third party in a controlled environment. Communities throughout the country have increasingly turned to supervised visitation programs as a means of protecting vulnerable family members in complex child custody litigation. Notwithstanding their popularity, however, these programs largely constitute a patchwork of approaches rather than a coherent system. For that reason, Florida’s recent adoption of a comprehensive set of uniform state standards and accompanying measures to implement them represent a major advance in efforts to maximize the benefits of supervised visitation. This article provides an overview of the history, guiding principles, and salient operational details of Florida’s new standards. If successful, Florida’s experiment can serve as a template for other states also seeking to safeguard the welfare of children and other vulnerable members of troubled families.

Suggested Citation

Stern, Nat S. and Oehme, Karen, A Comprehensive Blueprint for a Crucial Service: Florida's New Supervised Visitation Strategy (May 19, 2009). Journal of Law & Family Studies, Forthcoming, FSU College of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 370, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1407078

Nat S. Stern (Contact Author)

Florida State University - College of Law ( email )

425 W. Jefferson Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306
United States
850.644.1801 (Phone)

Karen Oehme

Florida State University College of Social Work, Institute for Family Violence Studies ( email )

Tallahassee, FL 32306
United States

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