So-called "virtual visitation" is poised to revolutionize family courts across America. Technology has done more than widen our social circles - Skype and similar web-based video chat and telephone sites are helping parents keep a meaningful relationship with their children in spite of the distance separating them. While it is not a substitute for in-person contact, many parents, family advocates and legal experts hail its use as the "next best thing."
Virtual visitation has been anecdotally proven to provide a deeper connection for parents than a simple phone call or e-mail message, so it is not necessarily surprising that courts in New York, Utah, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois and Texas have engaged it as a tool in their custody and visitation resolution arsenal. It is particularly useful when outside influences like job relocation, foreclosure, physical illness or the need to care for vulnerable family members mandate relocation.
A recent case out of Suffolk County, New York, has brought this unique issue into the public eye. That particular case involved a mother whose relocation was motivated not by spite or personal gain, but by economic necessity. The court, after weighing all the factors involved and the father's objections, decided that even though the move would limit the father's in-person visitation with the children, it was in their best interests to allow it. The court's solution was to grant the father virtual visitation through Skype and by phone as well as additional in-person visits during school vacations.
While family court judges must still base their decisions on what is best for the children, the technology employed in virtual visitation - video teleconferences, frequent phone contact and e-mails - are allowing non-custodial parents to spend quality time with their children from across the miles. If you are currently involved in a custody dispute where you anticipate virtual visitation might be a possibility, consult an experienced family law attorney in your area to learn more about your parental rights and legal options that will allow you to stay in contact with your children.
