According to SC Code § 63-15-50 (2016), which governs visitation in domestic violence situations, adequate provisions for the safety of the child must be arranged before granting visitation to an abuser found to have committed domestic violence, or found to have been the primary aggressor.
The adequate provisions ordered by the court may include visitation supervised by another party or agency, meetings to exchange the child only in public settings, counseling, abstention from alcohol during and before visitation, prohibitions against overnight visitation, payment of a bond in order to gain visitation rights, or any other condition the court deems necessary for the safety of the child, victim of the abuser, and other household members.
The court may also order the abuser to pay the costs of any imposed condition and must order the abuser to pay the cost of any medical or psychological treatment of a child injured by domestic violence.
Protection orders that forbid contact usually include exceptions for necessary communication related to the minor child, but necessary parent contact in domestic violence situations should generally be via text message or lasting social media direct messaging (not Snapchat or any similar ephemeral form). The permanent records created by such communication protect your client and prevent misunderstandings on either side.
The language of protective orders can also be written into final orders as behavior guidelines to set firm expectations and boundaries that provide lasting relief to victims.