Separated Parents Guide to Choosing an Assessor

In case parents fail to agree on who will have the custody of the kids, courts turn to recommendations of a professional known as an assessor. The assessor will consider the factors to determine their recommendation in the custody argument.

It’s important to choose an assessor that identifies with the needs of the couple. If there is an assessment required for custody and care of the child, a social worker can provide an expert opinion. For family matters in relationship or parenting issues, the social worker can assess and provide their opinion to the courts — using their education and experience in these matters as a baseline. For issues regarding psychological behavior, like temperament and intelligence, a psychologist can help determine if there is concern for the children being cared for by one of the parent. The psychologist can help to find the right situation for the children in the case one of the parents is suffering from mental illness or medications being used to treat various disorders.

Once the right type of assessor has been determined, it’s important to consider the credentials, experience and education of the assessor. This experience and education can help to ensure the assessor is going to be adhere to the standards of practice throughout the assessment.

The assessor should be willing to work with divorced parents to come up with a solution to the custody arguments. In the case the parents have reached an agreement, the assessor should respect and give priority to the decision that is made.

Choosing an assessor that has had valid experience working to facilitate an agreement with parents can help to reduce the stress of the situation and ensure that there is less conflict between parents. In addition to less stress for the parents, children whose parents are able to come to an agreement on their own or with the help of an assessor are happier and adjust better during social outcomes.

Parents that may not think they’re able to come to an agreement on their own should reconsider their stance, respect their co-parent and try to work together; as it can be a cost effective way to find a solution. Assessments can be quite costly with all of the measures involved and parents that are able to come to a compromise in the best interest of the child can settle, reducing the costs and leaving more money for the care of the children.

Custody disputes is an area you should not deal with alone. Specialized Toronto Family Lawyers can help make the process easier and simpler. Contact one of the Toronto divorce lawyers at Fine & Associates today.