Your Questions Answered: Supervised Visitation.

The name alone — “court-ordered supervised visitation” — sounds sterile and awkward. Being supervised as an adult is never comfortable. But supervised visitation should be viewed as an opportunity, not a sentence. By making the most of supervised visits, you can show the Court, your co-parent, and most importantly your child that you have good intentions and are eager to do whatever it takes to have a relationship with your child.

If you’re reading this because you’ve been awarded supervised visits, it’s time to explore your options and try to make the best of the precious time you have with your child. If you are a custodial parent wondering how to prepare your child for a supervised visit, we’ve got helpful information for you, too. The hope is that this post will give you – the parents – the tools you need to promote comfortable and even enjoyable supervised visits with your child.

When does the Court order supervised visitation?

Supervised visitation is ordered by the Court under NRS 125C.0045(1), a state law that permits courts to make any order “for the custody, care, education, maintenance and support of the minor child as appears in his or her best interest.” Any order issued under this statute can be modified or terminated if doing so would be in the child’s best interest.

Factors the Court considers to determine whether supervised visitation is in the best interest of the child include the physical and mental health of the parents, the level of conflict between the parents, a history of parental abuse or neglect by either parent, an act of domestic violence by either parent, or an act of abduction against any child (in other words, whether a parent has shown he or she is likely to take the child out of the state without the other parent’s permission). 

Because it is state policy to ensure that children have frequent associations and a continuing relationship with both parents (see NRS 125C.001(1)), orders for supervised visitation are usually temporary: The Court may order supervised visits until it can hold a trial on custody and issue a permanent order, or it may order supervised visits after a trial, until the non-custodial parent can show that he or she should have more, unsupervised time with the child(ren). 

Again, the temporary nature of the order should be viewed as an opportunity: the Court can use the visits to gauge how likely you are to cooperate with the custodial parent to meet your child’s needs, how likely you are to follow court orders, and how beneficial it is to the child to have a relationship with you. On the flip side, if you don’t take the order seriously or fail to exercise your visits, the Court will notice that, too.

How do I get the Court to lift the supervision?

Courts often condition supervised visitation on some other requirement. For example, if one parent poses a flight risk (i.e., the non-custodial parent is likely to take the child out of the country without permission), the Court may require the parent to have her visits supervised unless she agrees to post a large bond. (A bond is money placed in a Court-supervised trust that will be given to the custodial parent in the event of a kidnapping. It will be used to pay for the custodial parent’s travel expenses and court costs if the child must be retrieved from abroad). This is an expensive and rare option reserved for cases with a high risk of parental abduction. 

More commonly, visits are conditioned on the non-custodial parent’s taking certain steps toward self-betterment – for example, entering rehab, undergoing a domestic violence assessment, attending anger management or co-parenting classes, and attending reunification therapy with the child. Supervision may be lifted or adjusted if the visits go well for a certain period – say, six months. 

In some circumstances, such as where a parent has been convicted of an egregious crime against a child, supervised visitation may be ordered in a permanent custody decree. A non-custodial parent can petition the Court to modify the order if she believes it is in the child’s best interest to increase the length of her visits or make them unsupervised.

Where and with whom do the visits take place?

There are three primary options for supervised visitation services. The most commonly ordered option is Donna’s House, a family and child treatment facility on the first floor of the Family Court building at 601 N. Pecos Rd. Donna’s House is a good option for first-time and high-risk visits because the facility shares a security entrance with the court. This facility is also a great option for those with a traditional 9-5pm work schedule as their hours are from 6:00pm – 8:00pm, Wednesday – Friday. Visits are inexpensive at Donna’s House ($20 per hour, unless the judge waives the fee; exchanges are $5 each) and provided in one-hour or two-hour blocks. The party requesting the visitation is usually obligated to pay, but the Court may order the parties to split the cost. 

At Donna’s House, visits are conducted by experienced supervisors who can easily step in for one another if a supervisor needs to use the restroom or leave the room for any reason. Visits are supervised in a group setting, so each supervisor oversees one to three families at a time. Supervisors take notes during the visit and prepare a one- to two-page letter for the Court prior to the next hearing to describe how the visits are going. Even if they are not ordered to do so, some parties request one or two supervised visits at Donna’s House so that a report will be sent to the Court showing that the parent-child relationship is improving or that visits are going well.

However, supervised visits can take place anywhere and with anyone to whom the parties agree. For example, if Mom is ordered to have supervised visits and Dad is comfortable with the children being in Mom’s parents’ care in a public setting, the parties can agree that visits will take place under the grandparents’ supervision at a park or arcade. Note that the order should be specific as to who may supervise the visits and where the visits may take place.

A newer option is Family First Services, located at 1481 W. Warm Springs Road, Suite 139, Henderson, NV 89014. Family First opened in 2017 and conducts supervised visits and exchanges. While the business’s rates are slightly higher than at Donna’s House – $35 per hour on weekdays and $40 per hour on weekends (with all visits requiring a one-hour minimum) – Family First is unique from Donna’s House in that visits are one-on-one between each family and a supervisor and supervisors can go off-site (depending on whether the Court permits off-site visits and with some limitations, including whether the child has weather-appropriate clothing and whether the supervised parent can provide transportation). 

Like at Donna’s House, parents at Family First go through orientation before the first visit and all visits are within a supervisor’s line of sight and line of hearing. Because Family First is privately run, the facility has more flexible hours and can accommodate one-on-one visits of nearly any length by appointment. Parents can have food delivered to the facility (which is stocked with games, toys, and a craft room) or drive the child and supervisor to a nearby restaurant or movie theater, provided they have seating appropriate for the child. Note that the supervising parent must pay the cost of admitting the supervisor to any off-site activities (for example, the supervisor’s ticket to Adventuredome Theme Park, the Magical Forest, a movie, etc.).  

Family First charges $20 per exchange for supervised exchanges. The receiving parent is instructed to arrive early and wait inside, the parent dropping the child off drives up to the facility with the child, and a supervisor greets the child at the car and walks him or her inside to the waiting parent. The exchanges are done this way in order to minimize conflict between the parents at the exchange point.

A third option is Shiloh (pronounced “she-low”), a local supervision service established in 2019. Shiloh’s director, Norma Jean Rosse (“Jean”), has a background in early childhood education, earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Addictions, and Recovery, and is a certified member of the Supervised Visitation Network. Jean trains and certifies all Shiloh supervisors. 

Unlike Donna’s House and Family First, Shiloh offers in-home visits, which cost $50 per hour. Shiloh also offers off-site/public visits for $40 per hour, on-site visits for $40 per hour, supervised exchanges for $25 each and virtual supervised visitation for those who are unable to attend an in-person visit, with the cost being subject to change/on a case-by-case basis and a minimum requirement of two-hours per visit for all visitation services. Supervisors take observation notes during visits and monitored exchanges and reports are available on request at the cost of $25 per report. Being one of the few local supervision services offering both visitation services from 8:00am – 8:00pm/seven days per week and holiday visits, Shiloh Family Services provides convenience to families working a traditional work schedule. 

A fourth option is Sno-King, a facility established in 2015, by Sno-King’s director, Brandon E. Moore, MSW, LSWAIC. Brandon has served over 3,000 parents since 2015 through his five visitation centers and authored the first supervised visitation children’s book available. In addition to being a licensed social worker and published author, Brandon is a member of the Supervised Visitation Network and Association of Family and Conciliation. Sno-King is a Washington based facility offering a location in Las Vegas located at 3651 Lindell Rd., Suite D179, Las Vegas, NV 89103. Sno-King’s Las Vegas facility offers both in-person and virtual visits, which cost $75 per hour and include a free report for all parties between five to six days after the visit takes place. Like Donna’s House, Family First and Shiloh, Sno-King’s staff are highly trained professionals with a common goal of providing a safe and comfortable environment for parents and children to spend time together. 

To schedule a supervised visit at Donna’s House, call (702) 455-4229. To schedule a visit at Family First Services, call Chris Petty at (702) 908-6491. To schedule an in-person visit at Shiloh Family Services, call (702) 444-1963 or book online at https://shilohjr.com/schedule-an-appointment. To request a virtual visit from Shiloh Family Services, fill out an intake request form at https://shilohjr.com/getting-started. To schedule a visit at Sno-King Visitation, call (425) 391-5131 or via email at sno-king@outlook.com. To schedule a virtual visit at It’s About The Kids, call (503) 539-8182 or by email at iatkvisits@gmail.com. 

For families with a lack of transportation to and from a visitation facility, Echelon Services offers supervised visits with transportation within a thirty-mile radius, which costs $90 per hour and a $50 nonrefundable intake fee per parent. Echelon Services is a national organization that offers visits in every city and state in the United States. Echelon’s supervised visits are done in a public location or in the home, if court ordered, or if both parties are in agreement. Echelon offers overnight supervised visits if their availability allows, and virtual visitation through Zoom and phone. Echelon services can be beneficial to families who regularly travel or live out of state. 

Whether a family is in a situation where one parent lives out of state, is spending time in a treatment facility, incarcerated or travels frequently, It’s About The Kids offers virtual supervised visits only, which cost $65 per hour, with a $20 intake fee (English only). It is important to have various options when choosing a facility that best suits the child and parents’ needs.  

What are my duties as a supervisor?

Chris Petty at Family First said the biggest misconception when it comes to family-supervised visits is that the chosen relative only needs to be in the same house or vicinity where the visit is taking place. This is not the case, as the supervisor should always be in the same room as the child.

Chris and Jan Parlin, a supervisor at Donna’s House, agree that supervisors should follow three basic rules: 

1. Never leave the child and parent alone. Keep the supervised child(ren) in your line of sight and range of hearing at all times during the visit.
2. Interrupt inappropriate talk. Step in if the parent discusses inappropriate topics such as the court case or the other parent, or makes false promises such as, “Soon you will be allowed to live with me.”
3. Keep records. Keep a log of visits you supervise and take notes summarizing each visit. Note any out-of-the ordinary events, such as if the parent makes in appropriate conversation or the child is injured during the visit.

As an unpaid supervisor, note-taking may seem unimportant or tedious, but detailed notes can help the Court decide whether the non-custodial parent should have more time and/or unsupervised visits with the child.

Finally, Chris said there is a fine line between letting the parent be a parent and showing favoritism to the parent during a visit. Try not to interrupt a visit if it is going well, but remember to stop the parent from disparaging the custodial parent, even if you have similar negative feelings toward the custodial parent. Remember that you are the child’s protector. You have been tasked with guarding his or her best interest, not the visiting parent’s interest.

The dos and don’ts of supervised visits

The best way to ease tension and ensure that supervised visits go as smoothly as possible is to be prepared. Here are some tips from family law attorneys and facility supervisors:

Court-ordered supervised visitation is often a steppingstone toward more substantial, unsupervised visits between the child and the noncustodial parent. If both parents and the supervisor(s) take the visits seriously and keep the focus on the health and happiness of the child(ren), it will demonstrate that you are able to co-parent and the Court will look more favorably on both parents. Most importantly, your child will see that you genuinely want to support them and have their best interest at heart.

Download our supervised visitation pamphlet here.