How to become a supervised visitation provider in Michigan

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

What Michigan law says about supervised visitation

A parenting time order may require that parenting time take place in the presence of a third person or an agency. (MCL 722.27a(9)(f))

Read your court order closely in every case. It can name who may supervise, set conditions, and say who pays.

Standards and requirements for providers in Michigan

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

Access and Visitation Grant Program application packet (FY2026) Operating requirements for grant funded providers: security, domestic violence screening, policies and background checks.
Grant funded supervised parenting time providers must screen families for domestic violence with approved tools.
Grant funded facilities need separate parking for each party and limited access inside the building.
These requirements apply to grant funded providers, not every private provider in Michigan.

Reporting child abuse in Michigan

Listed professionals must report, including Friend of the Court professional staff. It is not a duty for everyone. (MCL 722.623)

Know how to make a report in Michigan 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 Michigan

Michigan's rules on recording conversations have limits and exceptions. (The eavesdropping statute requires the consent of all parties (MCL 750.539c). A 1982 Court of Appeals decision held that a participant may record (Sullivan v. Gray, 117 Mich. App. 476), but this is not settled by the Michigan Supreme Court.)

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 Michigan

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 Michigan's program contracts with local providers, it can be a source of referrals or funded work.

Michigan Access and Visitation Grant Program (State Court Administrative Office) Federal funds that pay for parent exchanges and supervised parenting time through Friend of the Court contracts.
Michigan Legal Help: Family Statewide legal information on divorce, custody, support and paternity.

Steps to start providing supervised visits in Michigan

Read the Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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.

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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.