Explore this article to know the basic information regarding child custody evaluation. Such as “What is child custody evaluation?”, “When do you need it?” and “What’s the general child custody evaluation process?”.
CHILD CUSTODY EVALUATION:
Child custody evaluation, also called parenting evaluation, is the legal process to decide the custody of the child as per the court’s order in contested divorce cases. In other words, when you are not able to reach a settlement on your own regarding the child’s custody, the court needs to decide about the child’s custody. And for that, the court-appointed child custody evaluator is to analyze and make a report on parenting, visitation, and custody as per the child’s best interest. So, the court orders the right decision regarding the child’s custody.
This evaluation of child custody is done by people with backgrounds in mental health and even psychology. Their job is to gather the information, make a report on it, and submit the report to the court and both parents. This whole process may take a few days or even weeks, depending on the complexity of your case.
WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
The court always wants you to make a fair settlement on your own regarding your issues, especially child custody. But if you can’t come to an agreement on your own or if you have doubts about each other’s ability to raise your child, the court may order a child custody evaluation. Apart from this, parents can also request a child custody evaluation.
The main purpose of appointing custody professionals to the court is to make the right and best decision for the child by considering all the parameters, which are a must for the child’s better future. These professionals will meet with you, your partner, and even your child individually to collect information and analyze the situation at a deeper level. The report they prepare is just considering the child’s best interest and a better future.
As child custody is one of the more serious topics to talk about, in some cases a child custody evaluation is needed to make the right decision for the child and even for the parents. And who’ll get custody varies from case to case.
GENERAL CHILD CUSTODY EVALUATION PROCESS (PROCEDURE):
The professionals used to have meetings with both the parents and child one-by-one so that the court would take the best decision for the child by analyzing the situation very carefully.
Your every little action and thing counts and makes an impact on the custody decision. So better try to cooperate with the evaluators and even go with preparations (to ease out the nervousness). Simply prioritize your child’s future above everything and see how things work. And, just be honest and have a practical approach to brightening your child’s future. Remember, nothing is as important as your child’s future.
Process:
The process may vary from case to case, but the general process is:
- They make meetings with both you and your partner, of course, individually. So that they get to know who will take care of the child in every aspect. That is, take care of the child’s education, health care and behavior; provide love, care, and support. In short, who gives him or her a better future?
- Then they also have meetings with the child separately. So that they get to know with whom the child wants to live. And, if ever any of the parents misbehave with them, if the child is not pressurized or under any influence towards their decision, and so on. By conducting various interviews and gathering information, they try to analyze the case at a deeper level.
- They may also make meetings with people who are close to them or with whom they have regular interaction, like other family members, neighbors, teachers, friends, etc. The main purpose of this step is to know how you (as a parent) behave or interact with your child.
- They may also try to study the psychology of both the parents and the child, as that helps them make the right custody decision.
- They even try to know the health, school attendance, and even performance of your child, as well as all the other aspects that are important to deciding on child custody.
- By gathering and analyzing the evidence, they create a report. That report specifies the custody (i.e., joint or sole) as well as the visitation schedule.
THE FINAL OUTCOME:
Once the court gets the report, they go through it thoroughly and then give the order about child custody. Then it’s the responsibility of both of you to follow the court’s order. This is what child custody evaluation is all about. But if you are not satisfied with the decision, you can ask the judge to re-evaluate it. For that, you should have proof in hand that shows the decision was not right for the child’s future.
Then, definitely, the court will consider your point, and you get another chance to make things work on your side. Just discuss it with your attorney and look at how to put up your point in court. The main aim of the judge is to make a fair and good decision for the child. So that their future won’t suffer just because of their parents separation.
