Psychological, Parental Fitness, and Child Custody Evaluations

How many times have you reviewed an order for evaluation and found that the judge has requested a psychological evaluation of the parties? Perhaps you have seen proposed orders written by fellow attorneys who request a forensic child custody evaluation. Other orders may ask for a parental fitness evaluation or a parental competence evaluation. For many, these terms are poorly defined and leave the end-user of the order (the evaluator) uncertain as to the focus of the evaluation. This article offers' some clarity about the focus of each type of assessment, and suggests the types of questions addressed by each evaluation.