NCJ Number
171514
Date Published
1996
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article presents an analysis of family dynamics in child custody cases.
Abstract
The article describes in detail procedures for evaluating parents during custody proceedings, including collecting data on their marriage and divorce, employment information and personal history. Other areas of interest include: self perception, education, parenting values, medical/health attitudes, meeting the child's emotional needs, ideation, extracurricular activities/lessons, daily management style, teaching responsibility, discipline, religious training, acquisition of parenting skills, attitude toward counseling, and addictive behaviors. The article also describes a procedure for evaluating children during custody proceedings. Children are evaluated using a semi-structured interview consisting of discussions about school, grade level, teacher, liked and disliked subjects, preferred peers, activities at school and in the neighborhood, siblings, parents, self-description, and psychological testing. The article describes a family evaluation summary, based on the evaluations, that would be prepared for review with the parents, the lawyers, and the court. References