New Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations

Child custody evaluation work is complex and requires psychologists to stay fair and impartial as they put the best interests of the child at the center of their recommendations. The 2022 Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations highlight the importance of cultural competency and screening for intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, and substance use disorders. This article describes the competencies that psychologists should develop to responsibly conduct child custody evaluations and identifies important considerations during the evaluation process including the factors that should be considered when conducting interviews and observations. Copyright 2024.

After reading the CE Corner article, you will be asked to complete a “Commitment-to-Change” (CTC) exercise. The CTC exercise is designed to help facilitate the translation of your learning into practice. Completion of the CTC is required prior to the completion of the CE Test based on the APA Monitor CE Corner article.

This product is not included in the APA Unlimited CE program.

New York state psychologists: This program is not currently in compliance with the unique requirements imposed by the New York State Board of Education for New York licensed psychologists CE.

• Explain the use of the “best interests of the child” axiom in child custody evaluations.
• Describe the competencies that psychologists should develop to responsibly conduct child custody evaluations.
• Identify important considerations during the evaluation process, including factors to consider when conducting parent interviews and parent-child observations.

Stephanie Pappas