If you are divorcing in California and you anticipate a dispute regarding the custody of your children, you’ll need knowledgeable, high-quality legal representation as early as possible in the divorce process. Get the help you need by contacting an experienced Orange County divorce attorney. In California child tutelage disputes, a child custody evaluation (sometimes called a “730 evaluation”) is a formal investigation of parents and their children by a court-designated mental health professional. A child tutelage evaluation concludes with a report about the family and a suggestion for a custody and parenting plan. California courts order child tutelage evaluations to obtain an objective, neutral professional’s perspective on the family, the parenting abilities of the parents, and the child’s needs. A child custody evaluation includes:
- individual interviews of each parent and child
- interviews of each child with each parent
- psychological testing of the parents and children
- a visit to each parent’s home
- a review of any pertinent documents
- interviews with third parties when appropriate
A child custody evaluation can take as long as six months to complete. You’ll be under scrutiny the entire time and expected to maintain a high standard of good parenting. The courts are ordering youngster custody evaluations more frequently in recent years. Originally such evaluations were ordered only in the most acrimoniously disputed cases, but judges more recently have come to rely on the evaluations for guidance regarding what is in the best interests of the children of divorce. A youngster tutelage expert’s opinion gives a judge more confidence that he or she is making the right decisions. Judges frequently accept and implement the suggested tutelage and parenting plans with few if any changes.
No process is more important in a tutelage dispute than the youngster custody evaluation. Be sure that in any custody dispute in southern California, you are represented by a knowledgeable, trustworthy, and experienced Orange County divorce attorney. If you are divorcing or anticipating divorce, make the call now.