The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations

I. Child Custody Evaluations and the Best Interests of the Child 1. Introduction 2. The Best Interests of the Child Standard II. The Art of Child Custody Evaluations 3. Ethics and Methods 4. Minimizing and Correcting for Bias 5. Increasing the Reliability and Relevance of Child Custody Evaluations 6. Interviewing Children 7. Children's Voices III. The Science of Child Custody Evaluations: Factors to Assess in Child Custody Evaluations 8. Assessment of Child Developmental Factors 9. Assessment of Parent Factors 10. Assessment of Family Factors IV. The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations: Assessing Allegations of Maltreatment 11. Assessing Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse 12. Assessing Allegations of Domestic Violence 13. Assessing Allegations of Child Alienation 14. Another Call for Humility Appendix: Sample Statements of Understanding and Letters