Discusses a variety of issues concerning child custody, including court structures, living arrangements, recommendations on avoiding court battles, and advice on working with lawyers.

Keeping a journal for Child Custody. Getting a divorce is often a complicated process, which becomes even more complicated when there are children involved. By keeping a journal for child custody, you will smoothen the entire process, and reduce the stress involved on you and your child. The journal will also be extremely useful to your attorney, and will often be used by the court to help with the process. Documenting the process should become a habit; and this journal is the ultimate tool to developing this habit. EVERYTHING that happens to your child, whether good, bad, or neutral should be recorded and dated. Ones memory will often fail to hold up in court when in court or mediation in regards to child custody. What this journal contains: Visitation planner: The visitation planner at the beginning of the diary contains space for you to quickly plan your visitations. This information is crucial for keeping to agreed upon times and dates and should be recorded as soon as each agreement is made, to avoid any later disputes. Input sections for: Date Pick up and drop off time Pick up and drop off location Communication Log: A communication log is one of the most important aspects of keeping a journal for child custody. It ensures that you are protected and prepared for all agreements and conversations that will happen between the other parent, lawyer etc. Inputs include: Time, date, start time and length of conversation Nature of the conversation, who initiated it, what was covered Main points raised Additional information Visitation log: Visitation is often one of the trickiest parts of managing child custody. The visitation log in this journal is designed to ensure both parties uphold their agreements that were made in regards to visitation, and that the child's best interests are kept at the forefront of the agreements. Other notes: A section for any other notes related to child custody. Remember: everything related to this process should be recorded. Any information that may not fit into the other sections should be written here. It may include things such as your child's mood after a visit, something your child says about their other parent etc. This section will be used almost every day used correctly, with each note dated as instructed. If any other sections should run out, continue to use this section. Tips for keeping this journal: As well as the information included above, the journal contains tips about how best to keep this journal. Book Features: 8.5 x 11 inch in size 120 total pages - Multiple 'sections' per page (Should last around 1 year) Perfect bound with a beautiful soft matte cover Printed on white bleedproof paper Durable Tips for keeping a child custody journal Remain Balanced - stay objective: While you want to do everything you can to get custody of your children, make sure you also write down the good things the other parent does. Remember, this is about what is best for your children, not what is best for you or for the other parent. NEVER LIE OR FALSIFY INFORMATION or you will ultimately lose the battle in court. Include Smaller Details Don't forget to include the smaller, everyday details with your custody journal. Specifically, you'll want to take note of: Comments your child makes about the other parent (Positive and negative)

A call for safety and accountablilty.

Whether assessing general family functioning or specific areas of conflict, professionals preparing child custody evaluations require sound knowledge of three interrelated fields: up-to-date legal issues, psychological findings, and forensic procedures. This book covers these three essential areas to walk readers through the evaluation process clearly and concisely. It further provides a unique combination of legal guidelines with social science research.

This book presents the latest data-based approaches to understanding and assessing relevant child, parent and family factors in child custody evaluation.

This is the first comprehensive examination of the increasingly important role of forensic psychologists in consulting and expert witness testimony in child custody litigation. Offering practical advice on understanding the psychological dynamics often found in these cases, the authors use real-world examples where critical issues such as the developmental need of children, relocation, domestic violence, and the alienated child are involved. They detail a logical process for critiquing the evaluation reports of others and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of a case.

This authoritative reference brings together leading experts for up-to-date theory, findings, and guidelines on the core aspects of child custody evaluations. Contributors offer steps for gathering more accurate family data through home observations, interviews, and collateral information. Chapters examine psychological assessment tools commonly used in evaluations, including measures relating to parenting competencies, mental illness, domestic violence, and substance abuse, and consider increasingly salient issues such as relocation and families in therapy. The section on case studies shows best practices applied in real-life custody situations, and a chapter authored by a family court judge offers rarely-seen perspective from the bench. Featured in the Handbook: · A survey of ethical and professional issues. · Observing and interviewing children, adolescents, and adults. · Psychological assessment and personality testing. · A detailed review of the Bricklin scales. · Specialized issues, including parental alienation, attachment, cults, and more. · Illustrative case studies and psychological reports. Mental health professionals who conduct child custody evaluations, including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists clinical social workers, family and marriage counselors, and licensed clinical professional counselors, will appreciate the Handbook of Child Custody. Family law attorneys will also find the Handbook useful in assisting them in child custody litigation. Its thorough coverage will aid evaluators in making recommendations that are professional, ethical, and impartial, and family lawyers in understanding the evaluation process and preparing for expert testimony.