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Professional Guidelines for Psychologists: CHILD CUSTODY ASSESSMENT

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  • Professional Guidelines for Psychologists: CHILD CUSTODY ASSESSMENT

    in case someone want to check their OCL recommendation for compliance with
    CHILD CUSTODY ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES


    COLLEGE OF ALBERTA PSYCHOLOGISTS
    CHILD CUSTODY ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

    INTRODUCTION
    The following guidelines were developed for psychologists who conduct assessments in child custody and access matters, and are based upon the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (CPA, Third Edition). The goal of these guidelines is to promote ethical and competent psychological practice in
    conducting child custody assessments.

    Parental divorce requires a restructuring of parental rights and responsibilities but parents are sometimes unable to jointly reach such an agreement. In that event, psychologists may be ordered by the Court or contracted by parents or their legal counsel to undertake assessments regarding children's custody and access arrangements.

    Particular competencies and knowledge are required on the part of psychologists conducting child custody assessments. This is a sensitive and potentially stressful area of practice in which psychologists may contribute significantly to decisions about children although the Court makes the ultimate decisions. Psychological data and opinions may provide additional information and perspectives about children's best interests not otherwise readily available to the Court.

    Since psychologists may be requested to address a particular concern or perhaps several issues within a family unit, they should clarify at the assessment's outset whether the scope of the investigation is limited or comprehensive. A limited clinical evaluation of the functioning of a family member or members should be identified as such and not be considered to constitute a child custody assessment.

    On the other hand, a comprehensive assessment requires evaluation of a breadth of issues for both parents and child(ren) resulting in a recommendation about custody and access. Regardless, psychologists should adhere to the following guidelines for ethical and competent practice.

    Just started to read and here we go.....

    H The psychologist maintains clarity in use of the term “child custody assessment”, thereby avoiding misrepresentation of the applicability of related clinical evaluations.

    Psychologists should avoid appending terms such as “mini-“ or “focused-“ to that of “child custody assessment” in order to avoid misrepresentation about limitations of data and forensic usefulness of a clinical evaluation. An evaluation focused on a specific issue should not be considered sufficiently comprehensive to warrant comment on custody or be presented to Court as if it was generated from a comprehensive child custody assessment. Such a report should not be considered a substitute for a child custody assessment, and this should be clearly stated at the beginning of any written report.

    and here is one what also like:

    Should the matter proceed to trial, the psychologist reviews the report and the case file in its entirety in order to be conversant with the data. The psychologist should also be conversant with the relevant current research fundamental to arriving at a recommendation.
    base on fact that my OCL recomendation based on fact that hight conflict will not subside if joint custody will be award and all recent receach said oposit it should be interested ...
    Last edited by WorkingDAD; 04-20-2011, 04:23 PM.

  • #2
    Originally posted by iceberg View Post
    I don't think Alberta has OCL. May have something similar.
    It's based on Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (CPA, Third Edition). so should be OK within Canada I would assume

    Comment

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