Parenting Plan Assessments

Parenting plan assessments, also referred to as custody evaluations or parenting plan evaluations, are child-focused forensic assessments that examine each child’s developmental needs and each parent’s capacity to meet them. They ascertain the children’s experiences, views, and preferences while placing them in the context of information received from parents, parent-child observations, and personal and professional collaterals. They also assess the historical and current family dynamics that may be impacting the children. The purpose is to provide child-focused recommendations regarding decision-making authority, division of parental responsibilities, and parenting time. These evaluations are thorough, assessing each family member both individually and within the larger family and community. They are neutral and evaluative, serving neither a therapeutic nor an advocacy role for either parent.

Limits on confidentiality: All discussions and communications with parents, children, and collaterals are open and transparent and may be disclosed in the final report, which is available to the other parent, legal counsel, and the court.

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When are they useful?

Parents disagree on decision-making authority and parenting time for their child
Parents cannot communicate or collaborate to reach a decision for their child (e.g., schooling, health, extracurricular activities, or religious education)
Parents disagree on what parenting arrangement is in their child’s best interests
Parents disagree on the views and preferences of their child
Parents engaged in a high level of entrenched conflict
Children who are resisting or refusing to see another parent
A parent wants to re-establish parenting time after non-contact (e.g., due to mental health or substance misuse)
Allegations of purposeful negative parental influence on the child, also referred to as alienation
Allegations of intimate partner violence
Allegations of parental substance abuse impacting parenting
Allegations of mental health issues or significant physical illness impacting parenting
Lack of parenting skills or abilities, or an overly harsh or abusive approach
Younger children who cannot be reliably interviewed
Children with unique developmental needs and parents cannot agree on how to best care for their needs
Disagreement regarding the children’s education, health, extracurricular activities, and/or religious education
Mobility cases (i.e., parent wishes to move away with their child)
Involved grandparents seeking parenting time with their grandchildren
And other, more complex family situations that require more in-depth assessment

Government Evaluation Services

Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL) – Ontario

The Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL) is an independent law office in the Ministry of the Attorney General that delivers justice programs on behalf of children. The OCL employs clinicians (usually social workers) and lawyers who act on behalf of the office throughout Ontario. The OCL represents the interests of a child under the age of 18 in court cases in Ontario involving parenting time, contact, and decision-making responsibility for children, among other matters. The central OCL office in Toronto receives all intake requests and assesses whether they are accepted for service and will assign a clinician, lawyer, or both to assist a child.

Since 2001, I have been conducting parenting plan assessments for the OCL. In a Section 112 case, I independently conduct the assessment of the child, parents, and family and make parenting plan recommendations based on the best interests of the child in a report that is submitted to court.

In a Section 89 case, I provide clinical assistance to the OCL counsel who is appointed to represent a child. I collaborate with child counsel to communicate the views and preferences of the child in the full context of the family dynamics and other factors to help the court determine what parenting plan is in the child’s best interests.

For more information on the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, please consult their website here.

Québec Residents

If you are seeking a government-subsidized parenting assessment (expertise psychosociale) in Quebec, please contact your local courthouse for more information. Les expertises psychosociales are regulated by les Règles de pratique de la Cour supérieure en matière familiale et par la Loi sur les services de santé et les services sociaux.

You may consult the following website for more information about getting your family a custody and access evaluation in Quebec: https://coursuperieureduquebec.ca/en/

Private Parenting Plan Assessments

Benefits of a Private Assessment

Parenting plan recommendations that are centered on the best interests of the child.
Helps parents inside and outside the court system assess what parenting plan arrangements best meet their child’s best interests.
Parents are in control of choosing the assessor.
Parents can be reassured that their parenting concerns have been assessed by a neutral mental health professional.
A private assessment can circumvent the need to obtain a court order and delays.
Helps inform settlement discussions for parents in mediation or court proceedings.

Assessment Process

Contract and Retainer: Both parents complete a contract and submit a $500 deposit if the start date exceeds 45 days or a full retainer if the start date is less than 45 days.
Intake form and intimate violence screening form
Individual parent interviews
Parent-child observations: Conducted at home or at the location of parenting time. For preverbal or young children with limited verbal abilities, there will be two parent-child observations.
Interviews with the Child: Three individual and private interviews conducted at school, at home, or in other settings. For families with preverbal or young children with limited verbal abilities, the child will be observed with her/his peers at daycare or preschool.
Professional collaterals: Gather information from professionals (e.g., police, child protection authorities, school, child’s doctors/therapists/psychologists/psychiatrists/hospital records, parents’ doctors/therapists/psychologists/psychiatrists/hospital records, etc.). Step-parents who live with the child will also be asked to consent to a police and child protection verification.
Personal collaterals: Interviews with step-parents, step-children, and significant family members or friends who can comment on parenting and the co-parenting dynamic.
Disclosure meeting: Conducted virtually with both parents and legal counsel at the end of the assessment process. This is an opportunity for parents to engage in settlement discussions, but they are not required to do so. Often, parents need time to read the report, absorb the information, and consult their legal counsel before engaging in settlement discussions.
Final report: It is submitted as a PDF by email to both parents and counsel after the disclosure meeting.
Check-in interviews post-assessment: There are times when a graduated step-up plan is recommended and check-in interviews following the submission of the report can be conducted to assess how the children are adapting to the new parenting time before proceeding to the next step.
Testifying: Parents may send a summons for testimony in a trial, given sufficient notice and time to prepare. Clinical notes and other case documents can only be released if noted on a summons.

How to get started?

Both parents should complete a parenting plan assessment contract and provide their respective deposit or retainer fee. Parents will then be sent intake forms to complete. They will also be asked to provide a list of all professionals involved with them and their children so that parent consents may be prepared in advance of the individual parent interviews.

Cost & Duration

Cost

Billed at a rate of $225/hour +HST.
To start, a $7,000 retainer is required.
Send payments via Interac e-Transfer® to cbourgeois@chantalbourgeois.ca, or by cheque.

Additional charges include travel expenses and fees charged by collateral sources.

Costs can be split equally, shared proportionally to income, or paid by a single payor.

Total costs depend on the complexity of the file, frequency and duration of the interviews, communications and legal documentation.

Some or all services may be covered by your insurance plan. Please consult your insurance company directly for coverage details.

Duration

Generally, the goal is to complete the assessment within 120 days; however, many complex assessments may extend past this timeframe. To facilitate the assessment process, parents are asked to be flexible about scheduling their interview and observation times and to complete the requested consent forms promptly to avoid delays in obtaining information. There are some delays beyond my control associated with professional collaterals sending in reports or making themselves available for interviews. Additionally, an assessment may be delayed if there is a new and active child protection and/or police investigations.