Parenting Plan Evaluations (PPEs) are primarily advisory reports to the court to assist judges with deciding what is in the best interest of children involved in protracted custody disputes. However, a high-quality PPE report should also be useful to the multiple parties served by the evaluation report. In addition to judges, this includes attorneys, parents, children, as well as the treating and consulting professionals who may provide services to the family following the evaluation. Therefore, evaluators need to construct reports with these other individuals in mind. This means carefully considering how observations, analyses, findings, and recommendations are offered so that they can provide a roadmap that can lead to future positive functioning of the family. This workshop will offer a multidisciplinary perspective regarding what makes PPE reports reliable, useful, effective, and settlement-focused, while also withstanding scrutiny within the court process.

Learning Objectives:

  • Participants will be able to list the various clients served by the PPE report.
  • Participants will be able describe 3 key elements of PPE reports that are most useful to judges and attorneys.
  • Participants will be able to identify 3 important features of PPE report recommendations.