As noted in a recent post, For High Conflict Exchanges of Kids, Consider a Supervised Visitation Center, supervised visitation centers are a blessing not only in cases where supervised visitation is court-ordered, but also in many other cases where only exchanges of children are fraught with conflict.

But the blessing comes with a price tag.

How large a price tag (and who must pay it) varies from state to state, sponsor to sponsor, program to program, and facility to facility.

But there is always a price tag, for someone.

A New York Times article took up this very issue over the weekend.

According to that article, supervised visitation in New York City costs $100 per hour – a price tag that is beyond the reach of many families.

And the wait for free services under the auspices of a nonprofit organization can take six months, an eternity to a parent who already hasn’t seen his or her child for some time prior to entry of the court order.

And the number of families in need of supervised visitations services keeps climbing steadily.

Private supervisors impose less of a wait, but they are even more expensive.

Of course, in some cases, less formal supervision may be suitable. But not every family has a friend or relative who is willing, able and mutually trusted to supervise – especially after they have been stuck in the middle for a while.

Read more in this New York times article: In Custody Fights, a Hurdle for the Poor.