Plain English Breakdown
The official text defines 'unsubstantiated' but does not explicitly define it as 'false'; the summary uses 'found to be unsubstantiated' to remain precise.
Court-Ordered Make-Up Visitation for Children
This law requires courts to order make-up visitation time if a parent missed scheduled visits during an investigation that the Department of Family and Community Services later found to be unsubstantiated.
What This Bill Does
- Requires courts to order compensatory, or make-up, visitation when specific conditions are met.
- Applies only when the Department of Family and Community Services finds an abuse allegation is unsubstantiated.
- Mandates that the new visit time matches the type and length of the missed visits in the original court order.
- Sets a rule that make-up visits must happen within two years after the court issues the new order.
- Allows courts to add safety conditions if needed for the child's best interests.
Who It Names or Affects
- Parents or other people who have lost scheduled visitation time with a child during an investigation by the Department of Family and Community Services.
- Children whose custodians denied them visits while waiting for an abuse allegation to be investigated.
- Courts that must decide on and schedule the make-up visitation times.
Terms To Know
- Compensatory Visitation
- Make-up time ordered by a court for visits that did not happen as planned during an investigation.
- Unsubstantiated Allegation
- A claim of abuse or neglect that the Department found to be unsubstantiated after looking into it.
Limits and Unknowns
- This law only applies if a custodian cannot show another good reason for missing the original visit.
- The rule does not cover visits missed before July 1, 2026, or cases where an allegation was proven true.