SUMMARY OF THE PRACTICE PARAMETERS FOR CHILD-CUSTODY EVALUATION

This summary is presented as a guide for clinicians evaluating the oft en delicate and complex issues surrounding a child custody dispute. Th e historical basis of child custody and the various judicial presumpti ons that have guided courts, as well as the differences between perfor ming child custody evaluation and engaging in traditional clinical pra ctice, are reviewed in the complete document, Issues that are common t o all child custody disputes are presented, including continuity and q uality of attachments, preference, parental alienation, special needs of children, education, gender issues, sibling relationships, parents' physical and mental health, parents' work schedules. parents' finance s, styles of parenting and discipline, conflict resolution: social sup port systems, cultural and ethnic issues, ethics and values, and relig ion. in addition, special issues that complicate custody evaluations a re presented, including infants in custody disputes, homosexual parent s, grandparents' rights, parental kidnapping, relocation problems, all egations of sexual abuse, and advances in reproductive technology, suc h as frozen embryos, oocyte donation, and artificial insemination.