Long Island Visitation Rights Attorney Helping Parents Protect Their Time With Their Child

In New York, parents generally have the right to maintain a meaningful relationship with their children, even after separation or divorce. Visitation – often called “parenting time” – is intended to ensure that children can continue to benefit from consistent contact with both parents, when it is safe and appropriate to do so. Unfortunately, this also often leaves parents feeling like a mere visitor in their child’s life instead of a parent. At Bryan L. Salamone & Associates, P.C., we help parents pursue fair arrangements and protect their ability to stay actively involved in their child’s life.

Although New York law focuses on the child’s best interests, custody and visitation disputes can still become contentious. One parent may seek to limit the other parent’s time, raise allegations about fitness or interfere with parenting time. When that happens, it is important to understand your options. With decades of family law experience, Bryan L. Salamone & Associates, P.C., is ready to advocate for a schedule that supports your child’s well-being and preserves your parent-child bond.

Understanding Visitation Rights In New York

When one parent is awarded primary physical custody, the other parent is typically entitled to frequent and meaningful parenting time, unless the court finds that restrictions are necessary to protect the child. In many cases, visitation is unsupervised.

However, if the court has concerns about safety, stability or conflict between the parents, it may impose specific conditions. These include:

• Supervised visits – If the court decides that a parent can’t be alone with the child, the court appoints someone to supervise the visits. This order can result when the court has serious concerns about a parent’s ability to act properly with the child, especially in cases where domestic violence has occurred, even if the violence was not directed toward the child.
• Therapeutic supervised visits – When a parent is emotionally troubled or immature and has deficient parenting skills, the court may order a mental health professional to supervise the visits and use this time to improve parenting skills.
• Neutral place of exchange – When parents cannot get along, especially where there is a history of domestic violence, the court will order the exchange for visitation to take place at a safe location, such as a police station, school, library or other public place.
• Monitored transition – The court can also direct that a third person be present when the child goes from one parent to the other for visitation.

Because every family’s situation is different, New York visitation orders can be tailored to address a child’s needs, parental availability and any safety concerns while still preserving a strong parent-child relationship whenever possible. If your parenting time is being restricted, interfered with or you believe the current schedule no longer serves your child’s best interests, it may help to speak with a family law attorney about solutions to keep your plan workable and child-focused.

What Happens If The Parent With Primary Custody Interferes With Visitation Or The Other Parent’s Relationship With Their Child?

Many parents who have already been limited to visitation suffer further indignity when their ex deliberately interferes with the regularly scheduled visits. Some go so far as to undermine the child’s relationship with the parent who does not have custody, subtly rewarding the child for refusing to see that parent, while punishing the child for expressing positive feelings toward them.

At Bryan L. Salamone & Associates, P.C., we find this type of behavior reprehensible, and we fight aggressively against parental alienation, often pressing the court to award joint custody as the only true remedy. We have an impressive record of defending custody rights, no matter their gender or whether they were married to their child’s other parent.

Hire An Attorney Who Fights For Parents. Don’t Wait. Call Now.

Bryan L. Salamone & Associates, P.C., fights aggressively for parents who have had their visitation rights restricted. If you suspect interference or parental alienation is at play, if you worry that your visitation schedule is no longer a fit for your family or if you face other challenges, we are ready to help. Contact us for a free initial consultation at 631-388-6009 or contact our office online.