New center helps Maryland domestic violence victims

A new facility in Baltimore will allow Maryland victims of violence and other abuse to comply with court-ordered visitation in a supervised environment that will hopefully meet their needs.

Even in domestic violence and other serious cases, an allegedly abusive parent may still have limited rights to visit his or her children. In Maryland, an allegation that a non-custodial parent abused the other parent will not necessarily mean that person forfeits his or her right to visit his or her children.

Perhaps to help address the difficult situations that result, the mayor of Baltimore and Maryland’s lieutenant governor will unveil Safe Havens, a place where Maryland domestic violence victims can bring their children for a supervised visit with the other parent who has been accused of abuse. This facility was developed with financial backing from the United States Department of Justice.

The facility will offer the family a neutral person to supervise a visit, meaning that the non-custodial parent will get to maintain some relationship with the child but the victim of domestic violence will not have to compromise his or her safety.

Hopefully, the facility will also be able to accommodate for unique situations, like when one of the parents has a protective order against the other parent. After all, the couple may need to arrange some sort of visitation between them, but it is not usually a good idea for a person who has a protective order to permit violations of it.

A Baltimore County domestic violence lawyer can not only help a domestic violence victim get a necessary protective order but also answer questions and work out solutions with respect to visitation issues between a child and a non-custodial parent who has been accused of abuse.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, “Md. opening domestic violence visitation center,” Nov. 26, 2012.