Parenting Evaluations for the Court

This book aims to lay the foundation for solid conceptual and methodological approaches for mental health professionals in offering effective responses to legal standards and to the needs of individuals regarding care and protection issues. Offering ways to integrate theory and research into practice, this volume provides conceptual models for consultation and assessment. It will be of interest to forensic mental consultants and evaluators, attorneys, judges, child protective system administrators and workers, and policymakers.

• to Care and Protection Evaluations.- Parental Rights, Children’s Rights, and State Intervention.- Framing Referral Questions.- The Psychology of Parenting.- Multicultural Issues and Nontraditional Families.- The Etiology and Impact of Child Maltreatment.- Developmental Perspectives on Children in Need of Care and Protection.- Evaluation Methodology.- Data Integration and Interpretation.