Supervised Visitation

The family law court’s primary focus in Oklahoma child custody litigation is establishing a plan that is in the best interest of the minor child(ren). The plan must take into account the rights of both parents as well as the child(ren). In creating a plan the court will establish parental custodial times and/or visitation. Depending on the circumstances, the family court’s order may be more or less intrusive into the family unit.

The Court’s Analysis

Determining what orders are in the best interest of the child(ren) the court analyzes the totality of the circumstances. In cases where the mother and father are substantially the same the court’s order will not be too intrusive. Parents acting in the best interest of their child(ren) will likely end up with substantially the same amount of time. This is referred to as co-parenting. However, when one parent is not acting in the best interest of the child(ren), the court’s order can be much more intrusive. This can include supervised visitation and emergency custody if appropriate.

What Supervised Visitation is

Supervised visits are ordered in situations where for example there is evidence or allegations of child abuse. Limited child custody and visitation is a judicial tool that helps the parent, child(ren), and the court.  For example, with supervised visits an alleged abusive parent will still be able to see the child(ren). Without this type visitation that parent may go months without seeing the child(ren). Similarly, supervising visitation protects the rights of the child(ren) to be free from abuse and to spend time with both parents. Under a supervised visitation order the parent will also likely be ordered to attend anger management classes or some other type of therapy. Supervised visitation also inserts a third party who assesses the relationship between the child(ren) and the supervised parent. The supervisor will then be able to make progress reports to the court. These reports are often used to determine the duration of visitation.

Oklahoma Visitation Supervisors

There is currently no official licensing or accreditation authority for visitation supervisors in Oklahoma. There is though a national non-profit organization, known as the Supervised Visit Network that has created standards for visitation, to which many providers listed below subscribe.

Supervise Visitation Network’s website offers detailed Standards and Guidelines for supervised visitation practice.

Tulsa Visitation Strategies – (918) 688-9439: tulsavisitationstrategies@gmail.com

Visit Solutions Court & Community Services – P.O. Box 33107 Tulsa, OK 74135; Pam Thomas (918) 298-5797: (918) 638-1575 – Cell. www.visitsolution.com

Matthew Mellage – (918) 557-5545;  securefamilies@valornet.com

Safenet Services, Inc. – Donna Grabow; P.O. Box 446 Claremore, OK (918) 341-1424 rccsci@sbcglobal.net

The Parent Child Center of Tulsa, Inc. –  1421 South Boston Tulsa, OK 74119 (918) 599-7999 (918) 699-0508 – Marshall Crutcher; mcrutcher@parentchildcenter.org