Kids Need to Know Their Parents, But Safety First

[Supervised Visitation]

Dear Nancy and Sid,

I’ve had some problems in the past and my kids’ other parent fears I’ll hurt them. The judge wants someone to supervise me while she decides what to do. I need to see my kids. -- Michael

Dear Nancy and Sid,

I’m so afraid their other parent is going to hurt my kids, how will the judge know whether the children will be safe? – The ‘good’ parent

Dear parents,

Sometimes an Integrated Domestic Violence or Family Court judge will want a program where a trained supervisor can ensure the child is safe and he can get a report on the interaction between the non-custodial parent and the children. There’s such a supervised program a judge may require a parent to attend at NYCID.

Dear Nancy and Sid,

I’ve just discovered that an old girlfriend had a baby and the paternity testing proves it’s mine. I’m prepared to be a father, but I’ve never met the child and the mother doesn’t trust me. How can I get to know my child in a place that the mother will feel is safe? –An unexpected father

Dear unexpected father,
Sometimes parents feel more secure when someone can supervise them when they’re establishing or re-establishing a relationship with their children. You may want to talk to a social worker about whether this program would be helpful to you.

You can read more about Supervised Visitation here.