Legal Definitions - stepped-up visitation

Stepped-up visitation refers to a court-ordered schedule that gradually increases the amount of time a parent spends with their child. This approach is often used in family law cases, particularly when establishing initial custody and visitation arrangements, or when a parent needs to re-establish a relationship with a child after a period of absence or supervised contact. The goal is to allow both the child and the parent to adjust comfortably to the new visitation schedule over time, building familiarity and trust in a structured manner.

Here are some examples illustrating stepped-up visitation:

• Example 1: Re-establishing a relationship after a parent's absence.

  After returning from a lengthy overseas deployment, a father seeks to re-establish a strong bond with his young daughter. The court orders a stepped-up visitation schedule. Initially, the father has several supervised visits at a family center. After a month of successful supervised visits, the schedule progresses to unsupervised daytime visits for a few hours at a time. Over the next few months, these visits gradually extend in duration, eventually including overnight stays, and then moving towards a standard alternating weekend schedule. This gradual increase allows the daughter to slowly become reacquainted and comfortable with her father's presence in her daily life.

• Example 2: Introducing visitation for a very young child.

  When parents of an infant separate, the court often implements a stepped-up visitation plan to ensure the baby's stability and comfort. The initial order might grant the non-custodial parent short, frequent visits (e.g., two hours, three times a week) at the custodial parent's home or a neutral location. As the baby grows and becomes more accustomed to the non-custodial parent, the schedule might progress to longer daytime visits, then short overnight stays, and eventually to extended weekend visits once the child is a toddler. This phased approach minimizes disruption for the infant and allows for a natural progression of the parent-child relationship.

• Example 3: Transitioning from supervised visitation due to past concerns.

  A mother previously had only supervised visitation with her children due to past substance abuse issues. After demonstrating consistent sobriety and stability for over a year, she petitions the court to increase her visitation. The court orders a stepped-up plan: first, transitioning from supervised visits to unsupervised daytime visits for several months. If these visits go well, the next step might be short overnight stays, gradually increasing to full weekend visitations. This structured progression allows the children to feel secure and gives the court confidence that the mother can maintain a safe and stable environment for them.