After receiving the results of a parenting evaluation, which likely includes recommendations for timesharing and decision making responsibilities, many parents are left feeling speechless and shocked by the clear signs of biases found throughout the final report. This is because, the reality is, that the results of a Social Investigation (previously referred to as a “child custody evaluation”), often hold a tremendous amount of weight in the courtroom. This fact is especially true if the outcome of the report is not properly challenged by the less favored parent and their attorney.
There are many warning signs that should alert unfavored parents and their attorneys to the fact that a “work product review” may be necessary for clarification in the courtroom. These reviews should typically be performed by a forensic psychologist qualified to present the court with expert rebuttal witness testimony. This practice tends to be necessary in order to shed light on the methodological shortcomings, which can potentially invalidate the recommendations provided within the final report. Then, if the rebuttal expert’s testimony is performed confidently and competently, the Judge ideally be willing to state that very little, if any, weight will be given to the initial parenting evaluation.
The following three examples are a just a few of the many warning signs parents and their attorneys should look for when deciding whether or not to retain a forensic psychologist to perform a work product review on the report written on a comparative parenting evaluation:
1. If the evaluator spent an exorbitant amount of time communicating with the favored parent, far greater than that of the unfavored parent, this should begin raising some eye brows. While completing these reviews, the rebuttal expert may find that the initial evaluator spent a disproportionate amount of time engaging in interviews, telephone calls, collateral contacts, emails, and parent/child observation with the favored parent. The rebuttal psychologist also often finds situations which lead to cognitive biases, such as when one parent (who is ultimately the favored parent) has been interviewed first, and sometimes several times, before ever even speaking to the second parent (who will ultimately become the unfavored parent).
2. If the evaluator fails to include information, or the connecting link, that led to their recommendations, you have the right to be concerned. Anyone can offer a lay opinion based on their personal beliefs. The point of hiring the psychologist for the evaluation is to obtain EXPERT opinions that are supported with research obtained from peer reviewed literature reviews.
3. If the report does not include collateral sources of information, and accusations are stated as if they are facts, this is a sign that the evaluator may not have proper forensic training. In court ordered forensic evaluations, the evaluators must not assume information they hear is either true or false, without double checking the information through various methodologies. Evaluators must attempt to confirm or dis-confirm the allegations, in an effort to make recommendations based on accurate information.
To learn more ways that our experts may be able to assist your case, please call us today. We are happy to listen to your concerns and discuss ways we may be able to assist in strengthening your case.
Please call us today at (561) 429-2140. We look forward to speaking to you.
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Please help my little girl she is 7 and I have been railroaded by the court system and a Biased GAL that couldn't tell the truth if it smacked her in the face. After loosing my little girl in the divorce D/T this same GALs biased report , I watched my daughter struggle with a magnitude of emotional and mental health issues. I sought help for her and B/C of this GAL's initial custody decission my daughter is miserable. She gets to see me and her 5 other siblings for 4 hours on WED and every other week end. Now a year ago I seen an attorney to fight for her and try to fix this disaster. We petitioned to have this GAL removed and have a new neutral one appointed. It was deneyed by the change of Venue judge. Guess what she once again turned everything around on me to make me look like I am the one with the problem and I caused her to be depressed and sad and have an enmeshed relationship with my daughter! What the Hell just happened here? Since her initial custody recomendation my daughter has been DX with adjustment disorder, depression and seperation anxiety, and PTSD. She is on Zoloft 12.5 mg QD. Her most recent report by this same GAL is recommending that I loose joint legal custody and my very controlling EX that was abusive to me and my other children and is a substance abuser have FULL PHYSICAL AND LEGAL CUSTODY and that she thought about supervised visits for me but wasn't on board with that yet .
PLEASE help us, can anything at all be done to stop this from happening? We have court on July 10th this month in ADAMS county IN with a Judge Miller over our case.
Sincerely,
Regina Niccumn
260-571-7675
regina.niccum@gmail.com
Hi Regina,
I am so sorry we seemed to have missed your comment a while back. Would you mind letting us know how things turned out? That way you may be able to help other readers in your area who are facing the same challenges. If you are still in the same situation, please feel free to contact me for a brief consult on your case, that way we can see if there are any options available to you. Another alternative would be to call your state licensing board and see if there are any licensed psychologists in your area who specialize in work product reviews and rebuttal witness testimony.
Best of luck,
Dr. Kristin Tolbert
561-429-2140
drtolbert@forensicpsychologicalcenter.com
Katz & Loizeaux Forensic Services, LLC did my PRE. I meet with Kathryn Kilian, MA, LPC and David Schutzman MA LPC during the PRE. I meet with Miss Kilian first and to me it seemed like she already had made up her mind on the case without talking to me. After my meeting with Miss Kilian I dealt with Mr. Dave Schutzam, he seemed like he was unbiased but that was not the case. When Mr. Schutzman had to do the home visit I meet him at the gate ( I live on Buckley AFB) we sat there for 30 minutes wait to get him a pass. After 30 minutes he could not wait any longer so I offered allow him to ride in my car and go to my house. On the way to my house I stopped at the babysitters house and picked up my 8 year old daughter and introduce Mr, Schutzman to my babysitter. My babysitter Lives 4 houses down from me on base. We did the home visit and drop my 8 year old back off with the babysitter and took Mr. Schutzman back to his car at the visitor center on base. After all the meetings we received the PRE Report. While I read this report I found 26 mistakes in this report and I am not talking about spelling mistakes. Some of the mistakes were the wrong case number, names misspelled, ages are wrong and who is the Petitioner and Respondent, just to name a few. While reading the report I found that the information in the report is not accurate and I can prove it. I have DD214’s to prove my military deployments but they did not care about the truth they care about how they feel about a person. They said my ex was unemployed when we meet and that was not true she worked as a real-estate agent for Watson Realty. I am a contractor for the government and they keep saying that I am a Military contractor. They said my step-daughter was 11 on one page then they say she is 12 on another. These are just a few issues with the report. This Company and the people are doing their jobs. They are supposed to be neutral but they clearly are not. My ex had two (2) people submit paperwork on her behalf and they added them I had eight (8) people submit paperwork on my behalf but they only put five (5) people in the report for me. The outcome of the PRE report is that they recommend that my ex gets custody of our daughter and allow her to move to Georgia where she will continue Medical school. She does not have a place to live in Georgia, no job, no income and everything that goes with an income (benefits – Medical, dental, ect). They mailed this report to the court without even checking for mistakes. My ex notified them about some of the mistakes they said that the corrected them and will send the report back to the court. It is sad that this company and the people that work for them cannot do their jobs without being unbiased. If you have to use this company try and get it changed.
please help I am a grandmother whom is fighting cps for my grandson. My husband and I have done all we were ask to do from obtaining a foster care liciens to taking all test that they have ordered we have now learned that I am going to be given a bad parental fitness evaluation and I am not sure how for the evaluator has never seen me with a child and she also did I sons evaluation and we were told by several other trained people that she never gives good news for a cps case and that cps has paid for this even though we ask to have one done by a person of our choice and we would pay for it. This child has been in foster care for 1 and a half years . we see him unsupervised every other weekend if we were a danger to him why would they give him to us every other weekend. We have also had foster children in our home . WE have a new court date on November 16th how do we fight this to keep our grandson with us. I am begging someone to please help
I had a question the court order for me to take a 730 but did not get one threw out my courts case at the end of the court I looked like if I didn’t want to comply.. how can I get one done because DCFS never gave me a place to go
Can you recommend a reputable forensic psychologist in Minnesota?
we need a work product review completed on a child/family evaluation that our organization has investigated at the mothers request that the report was bias against her, Our investigation concluded that the mothers concern were well founded ,we uncovered witness interviews that were altered, information being omitted that could collaborate the mothers\and child's statements, and in some cases the clinical social workers knowingly falsified information, the amount of corruption that we uncovered has been forwarded to the Ethics Coordinator but after requesting more the program was terminated. We found out the program had many more complaints and the evidence provided was overwhelming. The falsified report and request was federally funded and changing the name will not stop the corruption that is happening.The evidence package we turned in alone is ample evidence but a work product review could explain the how and why