With your children’s best interests in mind, you and your spouse—on the verge of divorce—simply cannot agree on decisions that determine child custody. If this sounds familiar, it is quite possible that a friend has mentioned, your attorney has suggested, or the judge in your case has ordered that you and your family undergo what is known as a 730 Child Custody Evaluation to guarantee that the best arrangement for your children is made. If this mimics your situation, you may be wondering what exactly a 730 Child Custody Evaluation is and what types of information you will have to provide to an evaluator.
What is a 730 Child Custody Evaluation and What Does it Entail?
On a basic level, a 730 Child Custody Evaluation is a psychological analysis of your family dynamics, conducted by a trained and certified professional (i.e. licensed clinical psychiatrist or licensed social worker). Besides you and your spouse, any other family members (grandparents, aunts or uncles) or prospective family members (fiancée or boyfriend/girlfriend) that will spend a significant amount of time with the children will also be subject to the analysis.
The evaluation process may take several weeks to months and will consist of multiple interviews that will be conducted with you and your spouse, your children and any selected third parties. These interviews will be used to determine family history and to draw attention to any mental health or parenting concerns that there may be. You will most likely be asked about your childhood, your approach to parenting, your approach to discipline, and other similar questions. Interviews will take place in multiple formats but the most common will be formal-question and answer- and interactive-“play sessions”- where you, your spouse, and any included third parties will be observed interacting with the children.
After the evaluation is finished, the evaluator completes a report and gives copies to the judge and both attorneys. After you have gone over the review with your attorneys, if there is any information that you or your spouse do not agree with, or if you feel the suggestions are unfair, you may ask to depose of the evaluator or have him or her cross-examined in court. When everything has been ironed out and the reports are entered, the judge will take into account everything in the report and make a decision based on what he or she believes to be in the best interest of the children.
Make Sure your Children’s Best Interests are Accounted for
If you have your child’s best interest in mind, make sure that the outcome of the 730 Child Custody Evaluation dictates that. Call Bohm Wildish at 1-877-615-6620 to get advice on how to ensure that your custody needs are properly handled.
