Parenting Evaluation

A parenting evaluation (PE), also referred to a custody evaluation, is a formal examination that attempts to assess the level of parenting skills of each parent and determine which parent may be best suited to care for the child or children. A parenting evaluation is usually made at the request of one of the custodial parents but can also be ordered by the court and social services. This evaluation includes face-to-face interviews with parents but with appropriate consent, also allows review of mental health/medical history and interviewing of “collateral contacts”. “Collateral contacts” can be practically anyone, such as daycare, family friends, employers, therapists, etc. Individuals participating in this examination must provide information regarding their parenting history, marriage/relationships, starting with meeting your spouse/partner, important events that occur during the marriage, and more information about living arrangements and divorce (if applicable). Psychometric testing is also administered to examine the custodian’s cognition, development/intellect, and personality. The evaluation also consists of observation, also known as “Supervised Parent/Child Play”. The custodian and the child (or children) will be asked to “play” in a controlled room and the session will be videotaped. If drug abuse is suspected, additional testing procedures, such as drug testing, may be performed. Once the evaluation is completed, the examiner will prepare the report.

 What To Expect: Our parenting evaluations are conducted in three parts, (1) testing and evaluation, (2) parenting interview and (3) observation. The testing and evaluation are scheduled in sessions according to test. Thus, test sessions may range from 30 minutes to two hours. The duration of the test is dependent on the participation of the individual and test time requirements. Due to the extensiveness of each test, psychometric tests are often scheduled on different days. The custodian must both complete testing and evaluation prior to the parenting interview; and must complete both testing and evaluation and the parenting interview before observation. After the three parts of the evaluation is complete, it takes roughly three (3) months for the report to be transcribed and compiled. In some instances, it may take six (6) months. This is determined by reports in waiting.