Evaluators interview parents and children, observe interactions, review records, administer testing, and contact collateral sources. The report recommends an arrangement and courts frequently follow it.
Evaluator selection and scope are set by court order.
Alternative Names:
Child Custody Evaluation|Forensic Custody Evaluation
Why it Matters?
Courts adopt evaluator recommendations at high rates, which makes evaluator selection and the information provided during the evaluation more consequential than the eventual hearing. Methodology challenges focus on collateral source balance, testing selection, and whether the evaluator exceeded their expertise into legal conclusions. Requesting the complete file including raw testing data and interview notes is standard before any deposition.
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Why is evaluator selection consequential?
What do methodology challenges target?
