Parenting Evaluation Support for Child Custody Evaluators

Child custody evaluations require careful attention to the moments that matter most: how parents and children relate, respond, and repair in real time.

Parenting Evaluation Support exists to provide evaluators with a clinically grounded lens into those moments.

The Role of Parenting Evaluation Support

In this role, I partner with Child Custody Evaluators and Expert Witnesses by conducting in-depth interviews and structured parent-child observations.

The focus is on understanding relational functioning, emotional attunement, communication patterns, and co-parenting capacity, without making placement recommendations.

It can seem like adding another cook to an already busy kitchen, however, many custody evaluators are incredibly brilliant psychologists who have some knowledge of parenting related concepts from a psychological angle and we bring in specialized, focused knowledge that helps identify and clarify the nuances of particularly tricky cases.  

What This Service Includes

Parenting Evaluation Support may include:

• A robust series of interviews with each parent
• Structured parent-child observations based in attachment science
• Analysis of relational and emotional functioning
• Insight into strengths, vulnerabilities, and patterns of interaction
• Trauma-informed perspectives on attachment and regulation
• Realistic expectations of future parental capacities and next steps for growth in the relationship

What This Service Does Not Do

I do not make custody or placement recommendations. Instead, I provide evaluators with clear, clinically informed observations that support their own assessment and decision-making.

Think of this role as a clinical lens helping evaluators see the nuances that standard processes may miss.

Keeping the Child at the Center

Every observation and insight is grounded in one priority: the child’s emotional safety, developmental needs, and relational well-being.

We know that custody evaluators are incredibly competent and skilled. We also know that having the ability to check biases and interpretations before making full recommendations yields better outcomes for children.

If you are a Child Custody Evaluator or legal professional, you may find it useful to reflect on where additional relational or trauma-informed insight could strengthen your assessment process and deepen your understanding of the family system.