Child Custody Evaluation

Develop an in-depth child custody evaluation outline by completing the following:

• Complete the referral question section and background history section of the report.
• Indicate which methodology you would use (including psychological testing).
• Design a format for your evaluation that answers the referral question. Remember, the referral question section in a forensic evaluation differs from one in a clinical evaluation and often includes information from the court order. This is an outline, so it is not necessary for you to include details of evaluee history and other data.

Evaluations: Fitness to Parent Versus Child Custody

Discuss the differences between fitness to parent evaluations and child custody evaluations. When would you use one rather than the other? Who is most likely to be the referring party (that is, type of court) for each? If you were to use an inappropriate evaluation, what are the possible repercussions?

Mental Health Laws in Child Custody Determination

Based on the mental health laws in NEW JERSEY- ( state in which you intend to practice) discuss two aspects of the laws pertaining to child custody evaluations and describe how each would affect the work product of a forensic psychologist asked to conduct an evaluation relevant to those laws. Be sure to give the legal citation for each law. Start with an Internet keyword search for “revised code child custody” and the name of your state or province to find the applicable statutes.

Current Issues in Child Custody Evaluation

Find two scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles published within the past five years related to child custody evaluations. At least one article must be related to psychological tests used in child custody evaluations. Summarize the findings of the articles and explain what impact the findings could have on the work of a child custody evaluator.

Bricklin Perceptual Scales

*Bricklin Perceptual Scales -What are the types of questions did parents are asked with this assessment? Are the 64 questions broken up into categories at all ? Is there at time frame the child has to complete the assessment. Is there a age range for this assessment and does the child have to show and kind a of competency ?

*What tools and other methods other than Bricklin Perceptual Scales do you think would be helpful in determining whether or not the parent is capable of parenting adequately?