Services

Child custody or "timesharing" evaluations may be requested by parents, their attorneys, or the child's attorney when parents cannot agree on how time with their children will be shared, or when there is a concern about a parent’s capacity to parent effectively or responsibly. In some cases, the judge may order a child custody evaluation. 

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Parents/guardians often are able and willing to work together to develop a custody or timesharing plan that is in their child(ren)’s best interest.  Research shows that 1/10 families are unable to come to an agreement about custody or timesharing. When they cannot agree, parents/guardians often turn to the Court to decide. The judge may order evaluations to answer specific questions for the Court. 

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The overarching question is typically "What is in the child's best interest?"but more specific concerns could include "What are the mental health needs of the parent, and how do they impact the child?" "What intervention strategies may work best to address possible parenting deficits?" or "What effect will termination of parental rights have on this child?"

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Evaluations can vary in how much of the evaluator's time is required depending on several factors. Some evaluations may require 10 hours of the evaluators time while others could exceed 25 hours.