Parents who separate or divorce and share minor children generally must stay involved with each other until their children reach the age of majority. When a parental relationship dissolves, the parties may work together or go to court to settle how they will contribute to the welfare and development of their children.
Child custody can involve matters related to a child’s physical care, as well as their legal care. Parents may share legal custody and physical custody, or one parent may be given physical custody while the parties share legal custody. How custodial matters are resolved will depend on the facts and circumstances of each individual case.
However, in some situations, a parent may be given visitation time with their child in lieu of physical custody. Visitation may be scheduled or ordered as reasonable, and it can be supervised or unsupervised. If a parent is not able to provide custodial care to their child, a court may order visitation so that they may continue to foster their relationship with their kid.
Having visitation ordered in a custody case is not necessarily an indicator that a parent is unfit. Every custody and visitation case will be influenced by the needs of the children, the schedules and capacities of the parents, and other factors. Parents who have concerns over how their custody and visitation hearings will be resolved can always seek the legal guidance from an experienced attorney. Family law attorneys can counsel them on what steps may be taken to protect their rights.