How to become a supervised visitation provider in Delaware

Delaware has published rules or programs that shape who supervises visits and how. This guide covers what Delaware law says, the standards that apply, your reporting duties, and where families and referrals come from.

What Delaware law says about supervised visitation

We did not find a Delaware statute that sets rules for supervised visitation providers. Judges order supervision case by case, and the order sets who may supervise, where, and how often.

No statewide provider standards. Courts must allow frequent and meaningful contact with both parents unless, after a hearing, contact would endanger the child's physical health or significantly impair the child's emotional development, and any order restricting access must state the facts supporting it (13 Del. C. § 728(a)). The court order sets any conditions, such as supervision.

Standards and requirements for providers in Delaware

These published sources set or describe requirements for supervised visitation in Delaware:

Family Visitation Centers (Delaware DVCC) State page listing the centers run by Child, Inc. and People's Place.
Delaware's state supported visitation centers are run by Child, Inc. and People's Place, with sites in all three counties.
Center fees are based on family income.
In Delaware, every person, not just professionals, must report suspected child abuse or neglect.

Reporting child abuse in Delaware

Every person who knows or suspects child abuse or neglect must report. (16 Del. C. § 903)

Know how to make a report in Delaware before your first visit, and explain your reporting duty to both parents at intake. Stopping a visit to keep a child safe always comes first.

Recording visits in Delaware

Delaware's rules on recording conversations have limits and exceptions. (11 Del. C. § 2402(c)(4) permits one party consent, but 11 Del. C. § 1335(a)(4) makes it a violation of privacy to intercept a private message without the consent of all parties. How the two fit together is unsettled, so get everyone's consent.)

Many providers don't record visits at all. If you do, get written consent from both parents at intake, and follow the court order.

Where families and referrals come from in Delaware

Most families look for a provider right after a judge orders supervised visits. Family law attorneys, mediators, court self help centers and state funded programs are the people they ask first.

Every state receives a federal Access and Visitation grant for services like supervised visitation, neutral exchanges and parenting plans. Where Delaware's program contracts with local providers, it can be a source of referrals or funded work.

Family Visitation Centers (Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of State Service Centers) Statewide centers offering supervised visitation and safe exchanges for families with domestic violence or abuse histories.
Custody, Family Court (Delaware Courts) Family Court custody information, with links to the state Family Visitation Centers.

Steps to start providing supervised visits in Delaware

Read the Delaware standards listed above and meet any training or screening they require.
Complete training in child safety, domestic violence awareness, neutral observation, report writing and ending a visit safely. The Supervised Visitation Network publishes practice standards many providers follow.
Get a background screening and liability insurance. Families, attorneys and some courts expect both even where Delaware law doesn't require them.
Set your rates, service area, visit locations and cancellation policy, and write a services agreement and intake form. Have a Delaware attorney review them.
Introduce yourself to local family law attorneys, mediators and the court's self help center, and ask how to join any provider list.
List your services where families search, so they can see your rates and book you online.

See the founders offer

Sources

General information only, not legal advice. Laws change, and this information may be incomplete, out of date or wrong. Confirm it with a licensed attorney in your state before you rely on it.