Visitation laws in South Carolina are based on the idea that there should be visitation for both parents as long as it is safe for the child. Some psychologists even take the position that it is harmful for the child to be excluded from contact with the noncustodial parent. These professionals believe that the child needs contact with both sexes for balanced development.
Visitation laws in South Carolina put child safety first
Applying the visitation laws of SC a judge can require a parents visitation to be supervised to protect the child. The Court will encourage the parents to agree on a supervisor but the Court will appoint someone if they cannot agree. Most judges will select a trusted lay person to supervise. There are times that a visitation lawyer can be appointed but usually a non-lawyer is preferred to save the parties money. There are some situations where the Court can appoint a child psychologist or counselor to supervise the visit.
Child visitation laws try to prevent psychological abuse and physical abuse during visitation
One reason to require supervision is to prevent the visiting parent from making derogatory comments about the custodial parent. Comments made to the child during visitation like “your father/mother doesn’t want us to see each other” put the child in the middle and cause psychological harm. Some psychologists refer to this as a “loyalty bind” and argue that it harms the child by putting them in the middle of the divorce process.
Experienced lawyers use visitation laws to protect children
It is up to lawyers and judges working through visitation laws to make sure visitation is safe for the child. Even children who have been subjected to abuse by a parent will want to have visitation with that parent. The child cannot protect himself. It is up to the custodial parent to do that.