Since the 1960s, growing proportions of children worldwide have been experiencing their parents’ separation at an increasingly early age. Parental separation entails a series of transitions and family reorganizations, including changes in parenting arrangements, residence, family relationships, and standard of living, that influence children’s development and adjustment over time. All pose risks for children. When
Child custody evaluation (also known as evaluation of parental responsibility) refers to the use of the legal system to resolve questions of the distribution of decision-making responsibility and time with children, often but not always in the context of marital dissolution. This process exists to resolve disputes between two or more adults who have an
Child custody issues can arise for a number of reasons, including parental death, unmarried motherhood, and the severance of parental rights by the state because of abuse or neglect. Today, however, child custody issues arise primarily as a result of divorce. When parents divorce, decisions must be made regarding who has the present and future
The role of a clinical forensic psychologist is not limited to criminal cases. They are often asked to serve in less sexy, civil matters. One such example is in the role of a mental health professional in a child custody evaluation. With the divorce rate in the United States hovering at about 50 percent, the
The term child custody employed here refers to child consequences and parental responsibilities following separation and divorce. Child custody may also refer to legal terminology related to guardianship and legal authority in the care of a minor child following adoption, loss of parental rights due to abuse or neglect, or other situations. In each case
A child custody evaluation, also known as a parental responsibility evaluation, is a process by which recommendations are made to a family court with respect to the best interests of a child. They may include responses to parents’ requests for parenting time or access to their children as well as evaluations of who should have