What are the types of child visitation orders in California?

When it comes to child custody and specific types of visitation orders, every state has its own specific rules and regulations. California, of course, is no different, with the state having four different visitation orders that parents must potentially understand.

What are the four types?

California’s four visitation orders include:

• Scheduled visitation: Visitation that occurs according to a pre-determined schedule. This schedule is generally agreed to by the parents in order to minimize conflict and ensure that each parent can have access to their child.
• Reasonable visitation: Open-ended orders that put an emphasis on flexibility and cooperation, these orders require that parents actually get along and are able to agree to a schedule in a conflict-free manner.
• Supervised visitation: When visiting a child must be supervised by another adult, spouse, or professional agency.
• No visitation: Occurs when having a child see a parent would be harmful to the child in some way. This also often involves barring any sort of contact.

What factors determine visitation?

The answer to this important question varies from parent to parent, and judges may weigh different factors accordingly. However, generally speaking, a judge will take the following into account:

• The strength of the relationship between both parents
• If there are any negative factors, such as substantiated allegations of abuse or mistreatment
• Age and emotional health of the child
• How visitation may impact the child’s ties to their home community

Child custody, of course, can be a highly contentious part of any divorce or separation. If you find yourself in the middle of a child custody issue, your best bet is to contact a family law attorney who can help you navigate the court system and get you the best possible result to ensure that you can see your kids as much as you deserve.