As a Forensic Psychologist, How Do I Choose a Child Custody Evaluation and Parenting Plan Training that Supports Best Outcomes for the Child?

A robust training plan to develop the knowledge and techniques necessary for child custody evaluation and parenting plan preparation should include foundational courses that cover several elements of forensic psychology best practices: evidence, ethics, minimizing bias, cultural considerations, case formulation, treatment planning, report writing, and expert testimony. If the training you’re considering has all of these essentials, then you should also look for a specialized curriculum that addresses topics specific to child custody.

Training in report writing for child custody and parenting plan cases provides Forensic Psychologists with a foundation to map a solid plan centered on the child’s needs. In addition to guidance on forming opinions and preparing drafts, the best training plans will empower you to deal with incomplete, uncertain, and unreliable data, which are regular features of child custody disputes.

Additionally, parenting plan reports can foster a collaborative mindset between co-parents, further supporting the best interests of the child. An ideal training program plan will cover:

• Case studies and case law examples to show you how to formulate your opinions in a forensic report, as well as guidance in deciding what report format to use, whether it should be reviewed, who should review it, and how it should be delivered and distributed. Ideally, the general nature of reports should be explained, including the difference between descriptive versus prescriptive reports and dispassionate versus persuasive reports.
• Provide key context regarding the family’s situation and its individual members. This can include a wide range of factors, from the parents’ employment situations to emotional and academic challenges faced by the child. Each situation is unique, and including these details shows the parents, judges, and others involved in the case that the report takes all of these factors into consideration. Showing each parent that their full situation is understood and considered can help them shift from self-advocacy to thinking best for all parties.
• Acknowledge limitations in data collection and evaluation. The Forensic Psychologist is ultimately an outsider to the situation, and they won’t be able to know everything. While evaluation training can teach approaches to help promote a spirit of transparency among all parties, clients can still withhold information. The parenting plan report can be based on a large and diverse set of information without pretending to possess complete knowledge of all relevant facts.
• Gear the report toward recommendations. A Forensic Psychologist can help move things in a productive direction by providing a parenting plan evaluation that steers clear of judgment and focuses on next steps that take into account the needs of everyone involved, particularly the children. This keeps the process solutions-oriented and provides third-party recommendations without taking sides.

Child custody evaluations must meet legal objectivity standards while maintaining an appropriate level of sensitivity. The AFCC Guidelines for Parenting Plan Evaluations emphasize that evaluations must be "independent, impartial, free of material conflicts of interest, fact-based, methodologically balanced, and culturally informed.” An ideal training will cover the differences in interviewing techniques, styles, and questions in clinical versus forensic settings. Your training program should explain practical aspects of a forensic interview in a child custody context, including scheduling, cognitive and attitudinal biases, and various interviewing styles, and the many components involved in interviewing adults and children.

An exceptional preparation for child custody evaluation would include a comprehensive discussion around interviewing children, specifically including:

• Assessing cognitive capacity and maturity
• Use of interview facilitation mechanisms
• The issue of possible coaching of children
• Addressing source misattribution
• Interviewing the allegedly alienated child
• Refusals to respond
• Invocations of the Fifth Amendment
• Requests for assistance or emotional support

As a Forensic Psychologist, you should look for a training plan that also introduces how to interview litigants, non-party sources, and collateral sources as well as credentialed professionals, individuals presumed not to be aligned, and individuals presumed to be aligned.

Developing specialized interviewing techniques also helps the Forensic Psychologist create a safe environment for children to express themselves without suggestion or coercion, while also ensuring that each parent’s perspective is heard fairly. These skills are essential for minimizing bias, recognizing manipulation or coaching, and producing evaluations that genuinely reflect the child’s best interests.

Forensic psychologists do some of their most sensitive work when interacting with children during child custody proceedings. It is essential to meet the child at their level, employing a developmentally sensitive approach and age-appropriate language. Play-based interaction and observation can help bring out the child’s perspective while putting them at ease. 

The answer is both. Many forensic psychologists are shifting from the term “child custody evaluation” to “parenting plan.” This terminology shift is about more than simply using gentler language; it is a change in mindset around the entire family court process. “Child custody,” focuses on how much time and control over the children each co-parent is allotted. It tends to be backward-looking, with an emphasis on moments that highlight the major failures and weak moments of each side. Divorce tends to be adversarial, and the “custody” framing reinforces that mentality. 

Forensic psychologists should choose an evaluation training that emphasizes the parenting plan component, as it will likely promote a collaborative, forward-looking mindset when helping support an outcome. Rather than focusing on how worthy or unworthy each parent is in caring for their children, a parenting plan leverages the contributions of each parent going forward. Mastering the parenting plan will put Forensic Psychologists specializing in the area of child custody on the cutting edge. At the same time, the term “child custody” will likely continue to be used professionally for some time, so any effective training will also address best practices in child custody evaluation.

Child custody evaluation and parenting plan development are among the most impactful areas of work in forensic psychology. The families you serve are navigating profound transitions, and your expertise shapes outcomes that ripple through children's lives for years to come. Investing in comprehensive training isn't just about building your professional credentials, it's about honoring the trust placed in you by vulnerable families and the courts that depend on your recommendations.

Look for training and certificate programs in child custody evaluation and parenting plan development  that balance technical rigor with the nuanced human skills these cases demand: interviewing techniques that create safety for children, report writing that acknowledges complexity without losing clarity, and assessment approaches grounded in cultural awareness and bias reduction.

Whether you're entering this specialty or refining your practice, the right training transforms how you show up for families. Choose education that elevates both your competence and your capacity to support children through their most uncertain moments.

• Child Custody Evaluation Certificate
• AAFP: Reducing Bias and Error in Forensic Judgment
• Interviewing, Report Writing, and Testifying in Child Custody Cases
• Introduction to Using the MMPI-3 in Psychological Practice
• Incorporating the MMPI-2-RF in Family Court Evaluations
• AAFP: Parenting Capacity Assessments in Child Protection Court

Blog Posts

• What Should Forensic Professionals Know About the Evolution of "Child Custody" Evaluation to "Parenting Plan" Evaluation?
• How Child Custody Evaluations Can Benefit Children
• What Works and What Doesn’t – Bias Awareness and Correction Strategies Among Forensic Evaluators