What is the difference between reasonable, fixed, and supervised access?

Reasonable Access

Reasonable access is the most flexible of the three types of access that a judge is able to award. In the court order or the separation agreement it simply states that the parent is entitled to “reasonable access” after which the parents are able to informally determine a schedule themselves that is most convenient.

This form of access is usually granted in situations when the parents are able to cooperate and agree with minimal conflict. One problem with this type of custody is that the informality of the order and the fact that the schedule is not court-imposed or contained in an agreement means that a custodial parent may begin unilaterally denying access to the access parent. In that case, the only recourse that the access parent has is to bring the matter to court and attempt to vary the pre-existing order or agreement which is both time consuming and costly.

Fixed Access

If a court order or separation agreement imposes terms on an access visit then it will fall under the category of “fixed access.” The frequency, length and sometimes exact time of visits are set and if necessary the location will also be determined.

Supervised Access

Supervised access will normally be ordered or agreed to if the access parent has a history of violence, abuse, a drug or alcohol problem or if he or she has threatened to abduct the child and as a result the court or custodial parent think it is necessary to have someone present when the child and access parent are together.

The location of the supervised access visits may vary. They can take place at the access parent’s home or even in a supervised access centre. This form of access is necessary in order to ensure contact between parents and the child as well as ensure that the pre-existing relationship is maintained or re-developed.