Supported visitation in out-of-home care: a scoping review of how practices are described, implemented, and experienced

This scoping review explores how supported or guided visitation is described, implemented, and experienced within child welfare contexts involving out-of-home care. International and regional legal frameworks, including Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, emphasize the rights of both children and parents to maintain contact after separation, provided it is in the child’s best interest. Recent case law highlights that such contact should enable the mutual enjoyment of each other’s company, underscoring the importance of relational quality and emotional safety. However, visitation often occurs in contexts marked by trauma, disrupted caregiving relationships, and conflicting expectations, indicating a need for professional support before, during, and after visits to enhance relational quality and emotional safety. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, nine peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 were included. Thematic analysis identified four interrelated themes: forms and functions of support during visitation; professional competence for promoting emotional safety; implementation challenges and structural constraints; and relational dimensions of supported contact. Across studies, support was predominantly directed at adults, with limited attention to the child. Moreover, the dual function of visitation, as both a relational intervention and an implicit evaluative context, introduced tensions rarely addressed in practice. The review indicates that supported visitation remains inconsistently practiced and conceptually underdeveloped. Few interventions address emotional and relational needs for both children and parents, or embed such support systematically. This highlights the need for coherent, relationally grounded approaches aligned with their rights.