First of all, it should be made clear that every parent of a minor child has the right to regular personal contact.
In some cases, however, this personal contact takes place in the presence of a visiting companion, i.e. a third person. This is usually a visitation café. On the one hand, they organize the handovers between the parents and, on the other, observe the contact between the child and the parent entitled to visitation.
This procedure is necessary if it is in the best interests of the child, for example because the parent with visitation rights has been violent in the past or there has been a massive estrangement.
It is clear that visitation support should not be a permanent solution and requires careful consideration. Visiting support is also very expensive and usually has to be borne by the parent with the right of contact.
An alternative to the visitation café is the family court assistance as a visitation mediator. The visitation mediator accompanies the handovers and also mediates between the parents. In the first five months, a visitation mediator is free of charge for the parents. Only after that do fees apply. However, the involvement of a visitation mediator can only be suggested by the parties and must be decided by the court.
Parents are particularly financially burdened in highly contentious guardianship proceedings. The visitation mediators are a good and more cost-effective alternative to the visitation café - especially if only the handovers are in conflict.
