Florida Statutes 753.03 – Standards for supervised visitation and supervised exchange programs
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(1) Within existing funds from the department, the clearinghouse shall develop standards for supervised visitation programs in order to ensure the safety and quality of each program. Standards must be uniform for all the programs and must address the purposes, policies, standards of practice, program content, security measures, qualifications of providers, training standards, credentials and background screening requirements of staff, information to be provided to the court, and data collection for supervised visitation programs.
(2) The clearinghouse shall use an advisory board to assist in developing the standards. The advisory board must include:
(a) Two members of the executive board of the state chapter of the Supervised Visitation Network, appointed by the president of the state chapter of the Supervised Visitation Network.
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 753.03
- clearinghouse: means the entity within the Institute for Family Violence Studies in the School of Social Work of the Florida State University, which serves as a statewide resource on supervised visitation issues by providing technical assistance, training, and research. See Florida Statutes 753.01
- Department: means the Department of Children and Families. See Florida Statutes 753.01
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Supervised visitation program: means a program created to offer structured contact between a parent or caregiver and one or more children in the presence of a third person responsible for observing and ensuring the safety of those involved. See Florida Statutes 753.01
(b) A representative of the Office of the State Courts Administrator, appointed by the State Courts Administrator.
(c) A representative of the department, appointed by the secretary of the department.
(d) A representative of a local law enforcement agency, appointed by the executive director of the Florida Sheriffs Association.
(e) A circuit court judge who presides over domestic violence proceedings, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
(f) A circuit court judge who presides over dependency proceedings, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
(g) Two representatives of a supervised visitation program, appointed by the director of the clearinghouse.
(h) A representative of the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office, appointed by the executive director of the office.
(3) The clearinghouse, in consultation with the advisory board, shall develop criteria and procedures for approving and rejecting certification applications for and monitoring compliance with the certification of a supervised visitation program. The clearinghouse shall recommend the process for phasing in the implementation of the standards and certification procedures and the criteria for distributing funds to eligible programs and designating the state entity that should certify and monitor the supervised visitation programs.