High Conflict Child Custody - Headed For Evaluation and Want to Know What to Expect?
When you are in a high conflict custody battle you never work things out between the parties and you head of to mediation and evaluation.
Why, because if you agreed there wouldn't be any need to keep going.
So of course the court has planned for this and provided and evaluator or in some instances, shortened the process and used a mediator to mediate/assess/evaluate your case.
But what are you really getting into when you head for evaluation? What you are heading for is going through a potentially lengthy process that will result in the evaluator creating a report that makes suggestions about how your case should be handled.
In the end if no changes are made this report will be adopted by the court as your custody order.
So this is something you want to be well prepared for.
The evaluators role is to assess the parenting skills and abilities of the individual parent/caretaker.
Each case is handles individually but there are general patterns.
Some of the tools available to evaluators are:
The entire process can take around 3 months to complete.
It is very thorough and intensive.
Remember what the evaluators role is.
To assess the parenting skills and abilities.
Leave out everything else about the other parent and focus on your skills and abilities versus theirs.
People who are focused on personalities and morals are destined to finish this process frustrated and unfulfilled.
Why, because if you agreed there wouldn't be any need to keep going.
So of course the court has planned for this and provided and evaluator or in some instances, shortened the process and used a mediator to mediate/assess/evaluate your case.
But what are you really getting into when you head for evaluation? What you are heading for is going through a potentially lengthy process that will result in the evaluator creating a report that makes suggestions about how your case should be handled.
In the end if no changes are made this report will be adopted by the court as your custody order.
So this is something you want to be well prepared for.
The evaluators role is to assess the parenting skills and abilities of the individual parent/caretaker.
Each case is handles individually but there are general patterns.
Some of the tools available to evaluators are:
- Interviews with both parents either together or separately if domestic violence is involved.
- Observing the child with each parent, possibly in each parents home.
- Interviewing other members of the homes including step parents, step children, and roommates.
- Interviews with the child in an age appropriate format.
- Reviewing all of the other documents submitted by both parties.
- Interviews with other significant people in the child's life.
For instance, grandparents, aunts uncles, teachers, coaches, or anyone else who can help them understand the needs of the child.
The entire process can take around 3 months to complete.
It is very thorough and intensive.
Remember what the evaluators role is.
To assess the parenting skills and abilities.
Leave out everything else about the other parent and focus on your skills and abilities versus theirs.
People who are focused on personalities and morals are destined to finish this process frustrated and unfulfilled.