Kansas City Visitation Attorney

Visitation and Custody Rights in Kansas City, MO

In the state of Missouri, the courts definitely favor a joint custody agreement when parents decide to legal separate or divorce. This is typically in the best interests of the child so that they can continue to have meaningful contact with each parent. The family court also encourages parents to cooperate and function as a team while raising their children so the idea of a family unit can still remain intact. In instances where the court rules in favor of sole physical custody for one parent, then they will award the other parent with certain visitation privileges.

Searching for a lawyer for visitation in Kansas City? As a parent you do have a right to spend quality time with your child, even if you do have physical custody. The focus of Missouri visitation laws is to promote the child-parent relationship after the divorce or separation. Visitation can also be referred to as "parenting time" by some attorneys and parents. The court prefers a visitation plan that allows the child to spend a substantial amount of time with each parent. In cases where one parent is a convicted felon with a criminal record or has a history of sexual or physical abuse, they may be denied visitation rights with the children.

Determining a Visitation Schedule

When parents decide to divorce, the court requires them to create a parenting pan as part of the divorce agreement. The plan must include a detailed outline of the custody schedule, visitation, ways of dispute resolution if a disagreement arises, steps to decision-making and a plan for child support payments. In this parenting plan, it is vital that you include all visitation provisions and stipulations so they are clearly spelled out in writing. For the visitation schedule you and the other parent must plan for the location of child exchanges and should clearly lay out the expected and required parental behavior will caring for the children.

Supervised Visitation

If the court feels that one parent poses a danger to the safety and wellbeing of the children, then supervised visitation may be in order. That is where a court-approved adult is present with the children during the entire visitation period. The court utilizes supervised visitation to ensure the safety of the children when one parent has a serious problem or when the parents are involved in a high conflict situation. Some other common reasons to resort to supervised visitation may include:

• One parent has a drug or alcohol abuse problem
• One parent has anger issues or a history of abuse
• One parent may have been out of the child's life for an extended period of time
• One parent may have never spend time with their child
• One parent may have a history of sexual abuse or misconduct
• One parent may still be working on their parenting skills

You may be wondering, how can I make supervised visitation work? Just remember that supervised visitation is better than no visitation at all. It is important that children have that ongoing relationship with each parent and that their happiness and safety is number one priority. Supervised visitation can take many forms- the third neutral party could be a grandparents, family member or neighbor. The visit could also take place in the presence of the custodial parent, with cases of this nature the parents must ensure that they are keeping the children out of any parental conflict. Sometimes supervised visits also occur at neutral locations while being monitored by a volunteer or a mental health professional.

Third-Party Visitation

There are also rare cases where both parents are seen as unfit and unsuitable as parents. In cases of this nature there are third-party visitation arrangements where sometimes the grandparents are awarded full custody or visitation time with the children. In the state of Missouri, grandparents are permitted to seek visitation of their grandchildren but the court will only award them visitation under certain circumstances. As a grandparent you do have rights, speak with a Kansas City visitation lawyer from our firm to discuss your case.

How a Kansas City Visitation Lawyer Can Help

Need an attorney for a visitation case in Kansas City? If you believe that your visitation rights are be denied, then it is in your best interest to contact our legal team here at The Reynolds Law Firm, LLC. We can help fight to preserve your custody and visitation rights so you can spend quality time with your children. Our firm has more than two decades of combined experience and we know how to enforce your rights in family court. Contact a Kansas City divorce attorney from our firm today to schedule an initial case evaluation!