Wisconsin also makes ample
use of custody evaluations where a disinterested third party, usually a mental health professional, interviews everyone concerned, including the children, and makes a recommendation to the court about custody.
He is the Co-Director of the Combined J.D. and M.S.W. Program with the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and the Course Director of the 48 - hour
Foundations of Custody Evaluations Program.
Although the
purpose of all custody evaluations are to ensure that the needs of your child are met as best they can, it can still be a very nerve racking ordeal for co-parents to experience.
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review of a custody evaluation report
Having a custody evaluator who has done a
ton of custody evaluations without proper training suggests that he or she has done a ton of them wrong!
The
desirability of a custody evaluation in your particular case will depend on the issues in dispute, the strategy of your attorney, the anticipated costs and benefits and additional factors.
This month's article was written by Leona M. Kopetski, MSSW who worked as a clinical social worker specializing in the
field of custody evaluation, in addition to maintaining a private practice in psychotherapy.
The
use of custody evaluations, overshadowed by the advent of mediation, was re-emerging as custody disputes were becoming more complex and high conflict families were challenging the capacity of the court system.