Judging the quality of child custody evaluations

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to assess whether the criteria that have been developed by mental health professionals to judge the quality of child custody reports matches the criteria employed by members of the legal profession.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the literature on the standards that have been developed to assess the quality of child custody reports and compare it to the criteria used by attorneys and judges.

Findings

The broad criteria used by mental health professionals in assessing the quality of child custody reports mostly matches those employed by judges and attorneys.

Research limitations/implications

There is limited research that focusses on a detailed, qualitative analysis of each component of a child custody report.

Practical implications

Is it essential that a qualitative analysis of child custody reports be performed because it would impact on how professional approach such evaluations.

Originality/value

Having research focussing on a detailed qualitative analysis of child custody evaluations may enhance the quality of such products.

Citation

Yohananoff, A. (2015), "Judging the quality of child custody evaluations", The Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 127-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-12-2014-0048