Custody Evaluations
At times, a divorce process or other life event will require critical decisions regarding child custody. If you and your soon to be ex-spouse do not agree upon a custody and visitation plan despite mediation and other efforts, a judge might order you to participate in a child
custody evaluation. A child custody evaluation involves a mental health
expert - preferably a psychologist - evaluating your family and making a recommendation to the court for a
custody, visitation or parenting plan that is in your child's best interests.
Choosing a Custody Evaluator
Rightly so, parent might worry about the cost of a child custody evaluation. While it depends on the jurisdiction, the number of children involved, and the types of issues related to the disagreement between parents, the evaluation cost often ranges from
$ 2000 - $ 8000. In the Jacksonville FL area, there is a reasonable number of available evaluators. While
it might be tempting to choose the least expensive option, Dr. Ybarra recommends that you
choose a professional with the experience, training and competency specific to your family's situation and child's needs.
As is common within custody evaluation, Dr. Ybarra requires that his custody evaluator fee is paid in advance, in order to free him to make as fact-based, child-focused objective decision as possible. In terms of parents sharing the cost, child custody evaluation fees are often required to be split pro rata
between the parties to the case based on percentage shares of income. You should speak to your attorney about custody evaluation fee division.
In Jacksonville, Dr. Ybarra is a rare custody evaluator who also is a clinical psychologist. His developmental and clinical research has explored the impact of parental arguments and domestic violence on young children. His practice experience with children and adolescents - including helping children through the difficult transition of parent separation and divorce - helps him to consider the long-term facets of each custody case. He is well informed about the importance of mother-child, father-child and sibling relationships. As a custody evaluator, he is well-known for holding the child's welfare at the center of opinion and perspective-taking.
The Evaluation Process
Dr. Ybarra's child custody evaluations include the following steps:
- At least two scheduled individual interviews with each parent.
- At least two scheduled individual interviews with each child.
- Observations of your children with each parent separately via home visits will be scheduled to allow adequate adjustment to the observed parent's household.
- Review of relevant court documents and other written information.
- Contact with other adults relevant and informed about the child (e.g., teachers, therapists, day-care personnel, pediatricians).
- Psychological testing and questionnaire completion to assess topics such as emotional functioning, parenting style, and stress management.
Is The Evaluation Confidential?
While typical records of your therapy sessions or testing made by a psychologist are confidential (meaning that, for the most part, you as the client gets to decide who has access to your information), in a court-ordered child custody evaluation, the court is the 'client' and holds the privilege. All
information gathered by the evaluator is potentially discoverable by attorneys and the evaluator is
subject to examination and cross-examination if the case goes to trial. If this issue remains unclear to you, your attorney and custody evaluator should explain it further so that you understand this important issue.
Recommendations
Dr. Ybarra will write a custody evaluation report with recommendations that will include (but not be limited to) the following categories:
- Custody / visitation recommendations (both legal and physical custody): Information regarding how to modify visitation agreements in the future will be included.
- Parenting plan: will outline the time-share between the parents. Topics such as how to better resolve future conflict (such as the use of a Special Master or Parenting Coordinator) will be addressed if deemed necessary.
- Specific/targeted treatment recommendations for the child(ren) or either/both parents, if warranted.
- Specific recommendations for special problems (e.g., domestic violence, substance abuse problems, parental alienation), if present.
- Parenting class recommendations will be provided if deemed necessary.
- A re-evaluation after a set interval or event may be recommended in cases involving very young children, key life events or certain issues or treatment recommendations.
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