The Safe Havens: Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Program (Supervised Visitation Program) was established by the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. § 10420). In 2002, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) developed and implemented a four-year demonstration initiative to examine promising practices in the field of supervised visitation and safe exchange.
OVW awarded grants to four demonstration sites: the Bay Area, CA; the City of Chicago, IL; the City of Kent, WA; and the State of Michigan. These demonstration sites identified and implemented promising practices for supervised visitation and safe exchange in situations involving domestic violence, developed national standards and protocols, implemented enhanced security measures, expanded community partnerships, and created specialized services for domestic violence victims and their children within targeted communities.