Supervised Visitation Providers

The supervised visitation provider is there to make every effort to keep your children safe. The provider may be a family member, a friend, or a paid professional. The provider’s job is to make sure that the children and everyone involved in the visits are kept reasonably safe and protected. The provider must be present at all times during the visit, listen to what is being said, and pay close attention to the children’s behavior. If necessary, the provider may interrupt or end a visit. All providers are required to report suspected child abuse.

The law says there are 2 types of supervised visitation providers:

• Nonprofessional providers, and

• Professional providers.

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A nonprofessional provider is usually a family member or friend who is not paid for providing the supervised visitation service to you and your family. Professional providers charge a fee for the service. They are experienced in and trained to provide supervised visitation services. Your court order will usually say which type of provider you have to use to supervise these visits.

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All providers must follow the uniform standards of practice for providers of supervised visitation outlined in standard 5.20 of the California Standards of Judicial Administration and Family Code section 3200.5. The court form Declaration of Supervised Visitation Provider (Form FL-324) which providers can fill out to let the court know about their qualifications can help you understand what the law requires for both types of supervised visitation providers.

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Qualifications for a professional supervised visitation provider
All providers of supervised visitation must meet minimum qualifications before providing services. The qualifications, found under Family Code section 3200.5, for the 2 types of supervised visitation providers in California are:

• Guidelines for nonprofessional providers.

• Guidelines and standards for professional and therapeutic supervised visitation providers.

 

1. Must be live scanned or previously live scanned in current profession.

2. Must register with Trustline.

3. No DUI’s in the past 5 years.

4. Must be 21 years of age.

5. Not on probation or parole in the last 10 years.

6. No civil, criminal or juvenile restraining orders in the past 10 years.

7. Auto insurance is needed if transporting a child.

8. Must speak the same language of the minor and non-custodial parent.

9. No crimes against a person or a conviction for child abuse, sexual abuse or molestation.

10. Agree to adhere to and enforce the court order.

11. Meet the training requirements.

Training requirements for a supervised visitation provider
Professional providers are required to receive training on the topics outlined under Family Code section 3200.5.   Also, supervised visitation providers are strongly encouraged to follow the training and education requirements of the California Association of Supervised Visitation Service Providersand the standards for supervised visitation practice of the Supervised Visitation Network, as well as other professional codes of conduct.

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CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION - Supervised Visitations Provider Training

For the successful completion of 24 hours of training in the following topics,

 as set forth by the State of California Family Code 3200.5:

• Standards 5.20 and Code of Ethics

• Family and Juvenile Law Basics

• Intake Interviews and Orientation

• Safety & Security Procedures

• Do's and Don'ts of the Industry

• Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Laws

• Child Development and Child Welfare

• Domestic Violence

• Sexual Abuse, Substance Abuse and Mental Illness

• Cultural Sensitivity; Working with Families of Various Backgrounds

• Terminating a Visit, Intervention and Terminating Services- Working with the Courts, Attorneys and Parents

• Working with Law Enforcement