Assessment
Assessment is a court-ordered review of parents’ issues and concerns.
When parents can’t reach an agreement through mediation about custody and placement, the court will often order an evaluation by a mental health professional. This assessor works in cooperation with a guardian ad litem to review and investigate all of the parents’ issues and concerns and make recommendations.
The assessor reviews…
- Information provided by each parent
- Children’s feelings and opinions
- Relationships among the children, parents, and others with a significant presence in the children’s lives
- Input from other professionals, such as teachers, therapists, physicians, and clergy
- Input from close friends and other members of the family
- Law enforcement and human service agency reports
Typically, once the mental health professional and guardian ad litem make their recommendations, parents will consider their dispute settled. Sometimes, however, it takes a trial – or the threat of a trial – to settle the matter.
In our assessment services, Divorce Conflict Solutions provides thoughtful, comprehensive recommendations in order to help settle disputes and spare families additional stress and litigation.