Family Law Evaluation Order Builder

I. Purpose and Nature of Evaluation

The purpose of this Brief Focused Assessment (BFA) is to provide the Court with a timely, limited-scope evaluation to answer specific, Court-ordered referral questions.

• The Evaluator: The Court-Appointed Expert (e.g., licensed psychologist, psychiatrist) responsible for conducting the evaluation.
• The Parties: The individuals relevant to the specific referral questions.

II. Specific Court-Ordered Referral Question

The scope of this evaluation is strictly limited to providing findings, conclusions, and recommendations only on the following Court-ordered question:

[THE COURT MUST INSERT THE SPECIFIC, NARROW REFERRAL QUESTION HERE]

AFCC Guidelines (Cavallero & Hanks, 2012): An appropriate BFA referral question must be narrow, specific, and issue-focused—addressing a single, clearly defined concern that can be answered with a limited, targeted evaluation.

Examples of appropriate BFA questions:

• "What is the effect of Parent A's recent move on the child's adjustment?"
• "Does the child have a reasonable basis for their stated parenting preference?"
• "Are there observable signs of substance abuse currently impacting Parent B's parenting capacity?"
• "What is Parent A's capacity to manage Child B's specific medical needs (e.g., Type 1 Diabetes)?"
• "What is the nature of Parent B's relationship with their new partner, and what, if any, is the impact of that partner on the minor child?"

III. Tailored Evaluation Methodology

The Evaluator shall design and implement a methodology sufficient and necessary to answer the specific referral questions in Section II. The methodology will be tailored to the scope and may not include all components of a comprehensive evaluation.

Potential methods include, but are not limited to:

• Clinical Interviews: Focused interviews with parties relevant to the referral questions.
• Review of Records: Review of specific records relevant to the referral questions (e.g., medical records, therapy notes, school communications).
• Collateral Interviews: Focused interviews with collateral sources who possess information directly relevant to the referral questions.
• Targeted Observations: Direct observation of parent-child interactions, if necessary to answer the referral questions.
• Psychological Testing: Administration of specific, validated psychological instruments if necessary to answer the referral questions.

I. Purpose of Evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is to provide the Court with a comprehensive assessment of the Examinee's capacity to meet the physical, psychological, social, and developmental needs of the minor child(ren). The evaluation will identify the Examinee's parenting strengths and weaknesses and provide specific, actionable recommendations to the parties and the Court.

• The Evaluator: The Court-Appointed Expert (e.g., licensed psychologist, psychiatrist) responsible for conducting the evaluation.
• The Examinee: The parent or guardian who is the subject of this specific evaluation.

II. Scope of Inquiry & Key Referral Questions

The evaluation report shall provide findings, conclusions, and recommendations addressing the following domains, as well as any other matters deemed relevant by the Evaluator:

A. Mental Health and Substance Use Status

• Does the Examinee have a diagnosable condition according to the current DSM-5-TR (or its successor), including any psychiatric disorder, personality disorder, substance use disorder, or other psychopathology?
• If such a condition is present, what is the specific impact of the condition (and any related symptoms, use, or behaviors) on the Examinee's parenting abilities?
• How might an untreated, poorly managed, or relapsing condition affect the Examinee's capacity to meet the child(ren)'s needs?

B. General Parenting Capacities

• Caregiving: What is the Examinee's knowledge of, understanding of, and commitment to meeting the child(ren)'s specific physical, psychological, and social needs?
• Protective Capacity: What is the Examinee's capacity to provide adequate safety, supervision, and an appropriate developmental environment for the child(ren)?
• Capacity to Change: What is the Examinee's capacity and motivation to change, adapt behaviors, or modify commitment levels to adequately address the child(ren)'s needs?

C. Co-Parenting Capability

• What is the Examinee's capacity to co-parent effectively, support the other parent's relationship with the child(ren) (absent safety concerns), and manage conflict?

D. Overall Treatment Recommendations

• Based on all findings, would the Examinee benefit from specific interventions such as psychiatric treatment, individual or group psychotherapy, parenting classes, family therapy, substance abuse treatment/monitoring, or other services?

III. Required Evaluation Methodology

To address the referral questions, the Evaluator shall employ a multi-modal approach, including but not limited to:

1. Clinical Interviews: Multiple in-depth clinical interviews with the Examinee.
2. Psychological Testing: Administration of standardized, validated psychological assessment instruments as deemed clinically necessary by the Evaluator.
3. Review of Records: A thorough review of relevant records (e.g., court filings, affidavits, prior assessments, medical/psychiatric records, substance abuse treatment records, criminal histories).
4. Collateral Interviews: Interviews with relevant collateral sources (e.g., therapists, physicians, educators, family members) who possess pertinent information about the Examinee's functioning.

I. Purpose of Evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is to provide the Court with a comprehensive, child-centered assessment of the family system to assist in determining the "best interests of the child(ren)." The evaluation will identify the strengths and weaknesses of each party as a parent, assess the needs of the child(ren), and analyze the parent-child relationships. The report will provide specific, actionable recommendations to the parties and the Court regarding parental responsibilities (legal custody), a residential schedule (physical custody), and co-parenting.

• The Evaluator: The Court-Appointed Expert (e.g., licensed psychologist, psychiatrist) responsible for conducting the evaluation.
• The Parties: The parents/guardians who are the subjects of this evaluation.

II. Scope of Inquiry & Key Referral Questions

The evaluation report shall provide findings, conclusions, and recommendations addressing the following domains, as well as any other matters deemed relevant by the Evaluator:

A. Individual Party Assessment (To be conducted for each party)

• Mental Health & Substance Use: Does the party have a diagnosable condition (DSM-5-TR) including any psychiatric disorder, personality disorder, substance use disorder, or other psychopathology? What is the specific impact of any such condition on their parenting? How might an untreated/unmanaged condition affect the child(ren)?
• General Parenting Capacities:
  • Caregiving: Knowledge of, understanding of, and commitment to meeting the child(ren)'s specific physical, psychological, and social needs.
  • Protective Capacity: Capacity to provide adequate safety, supervision, and an appropriate developmental environment.
  • Capacity to Change: Capacity and motivation to adapt behaviors to adequately address the child(ren)'s needs.

B. Assessment of the Minor Child(ren)

• What is each child's current psychological, social, and developmental functioning?
• What are each child's specific educational, emotional, and medical needs (including any special needs)?
• How is each child adjusting to the parental separation and any ongoing conflict?
• What are the stated preferences of the child(ren), if of suitable age and maturity?

C. Parent-Child Interactions

• What is the nature and quality of the relationship and attachment between each parent and each child?
• What parenting styles, communication patterns, and disciplinary approaches were observed during direct interactions?
• How attuned and responsive is each parent to the child(ren)'s stated and observed needs?

D. Co-Parenting Relationship

• What is each party's capacity and willingness to co-parent effectively?
• What is the history and current level of parental conflict, and how does it impact the child(ren)?
• What is each party's ability to support the other parent's relationship with the child(ren) (absent safety concerns) and to prioritize the child(ren)'s needs above the parental conflict?

E. Comparative Analysis & Conclusions

This section shall provide a comparative analysis of each party's strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the specific needs of the child(ren) identified in Section II.B.

F. Final Recommendations

• Specific recommendations for the allocation of parental responsibilities (legal custody).
• A specific, detailed recommendation for a residential schedule (physical custody), including regular access, holidays, and vacations.
• Recommendations for any necessary interventions (e.g., individual therapy for a parent or child, family therapy, co-parenting counseling, substance abuse monitoring).

III. Required Evaluation Methodology

To address the referral questions, the Evaluator shall employ a multi-modal approach, including but not limited to:

1. Clinical Interviews: Multiple in-depth clinical interviews with each party.
2. Psychological Testing: Administration of standardized, validated psychological assessment instruments to each party as deemed clinically necessary.
3. Interviews with Child(ren): Age-appropriate clinical interviews with each minor child.
4. Parent-Child Observations: Direct observation of each party interacting with the minor child(ren) (individually or collectively, as appropriate).
5. Review of Records: A thorough review of relevant records for all parties and children (e.g., court filings, affidavits, prior assessments, medical/psychiatric records, school records, criminal histories).
6. Collateral Interviews: Interviews with relevant collateral sources (e.g., therapists, physicians, educators, childcare providers, new partners, family members) who possess pertinent information.
7. Home Visits: Home visits for each party may be conducted if deemed necessary by the Evaluator.