A good custody evaluation will generally include the following: at least one both usually two or three interviews with each parent, separately, totaling at least two or three hours for each parent. For this reason, most cases which have not settled before this point will reach settlement when the Custody Evaluation report is received.
Tips for dealing with a Custody Evaluator: 1. Do NOT take a combative attitude. The last thing you want is for the evaluator to have the impression that you are unreasonable.
At least not until after the evaluation report is completed. It then becomes one of the factors the judge and jury, if applicable considers when deciding the case. If either party objects to the report, they can question the evaluator during the trial. In addition, they can hire other evaluators to testify about issues with the report.
Evaluations typically take three to nine months. In rural counties, they may take as little as six to eight weeks. On the other hand, complex cases in more populous areas can take over a year, as evaluator sometimes have to acquire information from as many as 75 sources.
Evaluators charge a flat rate, hourly fee or combination of the two. Parents usually split the costs evenly, though one party can be ordered to pay the entire fee. Evaluations done by Domestic Relations Offices are often much less expensive.
Cases sometimes have more than one evaluator, especially if one is in training or based far away. These evaluators can split up duties or collaborate on each one. You could also have multiple evaluators if your first evaluator were dismissed for conflict of interest, bias or not following code, though this doesn't happen often. Some parents take extra precautions to maintain their family's privacy during an evaluation.
By law, evaluators cannot disclose information about a case; they release their reports only to the attorneys or self-represented parties in a case. Still, to prevent information from accidentally getting into the wrong hands, a judge may agree to set additional rules for an evaluator. For example, the evaluator may have to review documents in the presence of an attorney.
Evaluators today are on the lookout for a behavior called parental alienation. For example, some evaluators will have limited education and experience with child development and family dynamics, and their evaluation might consist of a relatively short meeting with both parents, the children, and then a written report in letter form consisting of a few pages of background information and an ultimate recommendation.
By contrast, a more thorough evaluation from a professional with a great deal of experience in child psychology, child development, and family dynamics, might consist of several hours of standardized psychological testing of the parents and children, several one-on-one sessions with parents and the children over multiple sessions, a home visit and inspection, interviews of collateral information including but not limited to interviews of other family members, teachers, doctors, and family friends, and a review of educational and psychological records of the parents and children.
The ultimate report may be pages long and come with a very detailed parenting plan that adjusts over time to the needs and ages of the children. Child custody evaluations in Oregon vary in terms of cost and time frames.
Limited evaluations may start at several hundred dollars and take only a few weeks. Comprehensive evaluations will run several thousand dollars and may take several months t schedule and complete. Evaluators typically charge and extra fee to prepare for court and to actually testify. Preparing for a custody evaluation is important and should be undertaken with the assistance of an experienced divorce and child custody attorney. The evaluation cannot and should not be prepared for as if it were a test or an examination, but rather the client should be prepared to be able to provide the evaluator with all of the information that he or she might need to consider in terms of making a custody decision, and in assigning parenting time.
Some general recommendations are as follows:. For more information on how our firm can help you prepare for a child custody evaluations or to make use of an evaluator to benefit your case, please contact our office.
The factors looked into by a custody evaluator are listed in ORS Cost of Child Custody Evaluations The biggest barrier to child custody evaluations is usually the cost. Guidelines for Oregon Child Custody Evaluations Child custody evaluations in Oregon vary in terms of cost and time frames. Some general recommendations are as follows: Be truthful and candid with the child custody evaluator.
Be open and willing to consider different custody and parenting time arrangements. If you are inflexible and rigid, that might not be in the best interest of the children. Keep your appointments, be on time, and present yourself well. Also, you do not want to show up for a meeting with the evaluator stressed, frazzled, and unprepared.
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