Today we’d like to introduce you to Margarita Sweet.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Many years ago, I was a foster parent. Experiencing first-hand children separated from their parents; and parents attempting to re-establish parenting relationships and the ups and down of that, I developed a heart for children disconnected from their parents. I understand there are many reasons a child can become disconnected from their parent. I also experienced firsthand parents who didn’t have adequate parenting skills that led to their child being endangered. Quite a few children in the foster care area had parents experiencing mental health issues. Or had been abandoned or abused by a parent. Visit My Child started in 2014. I started it with the desire to be a safe and positive support system and place for children and their families as they navigate the issues that cause a non-custodial parent and child to be separated. California family law statute Section 5.20 sets forth the standards for children to be re-introduced to an absent parent in a safe and protected manner.
I began the training process required by the state and started the business part-time. Becoming a supervised visitation provider, I saw the crises and needs of children and families affected by supervised visitation. This encouraged me to continue my training and education in matters such as child trafficking, parental alienation, sexual abuse, domestic violence, mental health, co-parenting and substance abuse issues. I realized having more training aided in servicing the needs of families I work with.
Over the years, Visit My Child has served families from across LA County. We are especially known for the diverse clientele we serve. We are expanding, becoming a resource of information for parents and the public and training people who want to become professional supervised visitation providers as based on the California standard.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not smooth at all. Parenting issues can become very difficult. It is not unusual to navigate alienation matters. Parents who can be dangerous toward the other parent. Or one of the most difficult is when a child is truly afraid of the other parent or a complete stranger to the other parent.
Being a small, minority, woman-owned business has many challenges. The public often thinks this is some type of “babysitting” service or has never heard of supervised visitation. Or people think it doesn’t happen in their community. Educating people to what supervised visitation is and what it is not is a huge struggle. Particularly with parents who want to tell the visitation provider how to do their job.
Educating parents and the public on what we do and do not do, can and cannot do, are and are not according to the court standard can be an interesting road to navigate. Especially when our main client is the child. Keeping at the forefront of the visitation process the child is the most important is oddly enough a huge struggle in working with people needing this service
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
A professional supervised visitation service. We provide supervised visitation for non-custodial parents court-ordered to be supervised (monitored) when visiting their child. What sets Visit My Child apart from other’s the our heart, professional approach, our ability to meet people where they are and the ways we craft visitation experiences that provide safety for children. We sincerely work to reintroduce children to their absent or disconnected parents.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of how we work to understand the child and their needs. We get to know the child. We extensively talk with both parents to understand where they are, what they would like the outcome to be to ensure we are working with a parent who wants to become a part of their child’s life again. We want parents to understand we are not there to be the bad guy and keep them away from their child. We are there as an extension of what the court needs as their eyes and ears to provide a safety zone so to speak for the child and them.
Readers should know the supervised exchange and supervised visitation services we offer.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
In LA, the diversity is what I like best. I get to work with many different people and gain greater insight into the cultures that LA is made of. What I like least is the traffic.
Contact Info:
- Website: visitmychild.com
- Instagram: visitmychild
- Facebook: visitmychild
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/81592466
- Twitter: visitmychild
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@supervisedvisitation
