What happened?
Describe a specific event or behavior without labeling the other parent.
Preparing for a custody evaluation?
Walk into the interviews and the home visit prepared. Learn how the process works, and how to take part honestly, without coaching your child or putting on a performance.
- 5 modules
- About two hours
- 4 printable downloads
- Certificate after requirements
Created by Suzanne Dircks
M.A., LMHC
- 44 years
- helping families through custody
- 1,000+
- Guardian ad Litem investigations
Explain a concern about your child with facts.
Explain what happened, how it affected your child, and what might help. Tell the evaluator where your information came from.
How did it affect your child?
Connect the concern to safety, stability, health, school, or relationships.
What would help?
Name a practical support, protection, or change to consider.
Describe what happened instead of labeling the other parent.
This exact example from lesson 2-2 replaces a judgment about the other parent with dates, a school record, the child's experience, and a practical request.
Less helpful
“She is selfish, unstable, and has never put the children first.”
In the lesson
“During the last six weeks there were four school-night exchanges after 9:00 p.m. The school attendance record shows that our son was late the next morning after three of them. I am asking for an earlier school-night exchange time and a shared calendar so both homes can plan consistently.”
An educational example, not a script for your family or a prediction of what an evaluator will conclude.
What the five modules cover
- 01
The right goal and the right people
The evaluator's role and questions depend on the appointment order, not a generic checklist.
- 02
How you participate
Describe concerns with facts, sources, and the child's experience. Avoid diagnosing the other parent.
- 03
Safety, children, and honesty
Explain the process without rehearsing answers or asking your child to report back.
- 04
Home visits, observations, and records
Learn what a home visit may involve, how ordinary parent-child observation works, and which records are useful.
See all 5 modules
- 05
Credibility, the report, and your worksheet
Learn which mistakes can make your account harder to trust, how to spot factual errors in a report, and what to discuss with your attorney.
A record of focused education, not an evaluation.
Complete the course requirements and confirm your legal name to receive your certificate.
What it records
Completion of Child-Focused Participation in Custody Evaluations, the educational title printed on your certificate.
What it doesn't do
The course provides no evaluation, legal advice or child coaching. The certificate guarantees neither court acceptance nor a case outcome.
Your appointment's requirements
Follow the appointment order, local procedure, evaluator's written instructions and your attorney's advice. Your court decides whether a course meets its requirements.
Sample certificate fields. Not valid for court use.
Four printable tools
Three Questions worksheet for a child-centered concern
What to Tell Your Child card for an interview
Home Visit Checklist for ordinary safety and routines
Child-Focused Preparation Worksheet for your own review
The downloads help you prepare; they are not legal forms or documents sent to an evaluator by CCR.
Frequently asked questions
What does a custody evaluator look for?
The court's appointment order defines the assignment. The course explains how an evaluator may gather information about a child's needs, each parent's account, family routines, and the questions the court asked. It does not predict what an evaluator in your case will decide.
What should I avoid saying to a Guardian ad Litem?
Avoid guessing at motives or diagnosing the other parent. Describe what happened, how it affected your child, and where your information came from. The course covers common credibility mistakes without giving you a script to perform.
Should I prepare my child for an interview?
You can explain, in age-appropriate words, that a professional may ask about your family and that your child can speak honestly. Do not rehearse answers, suggest topics, ask your child to choose sides, or press them afterward for details. Follow the professional's instructions and your attorney's advice.
Will there be a home visit?
Not every appointment includes one. The course describes ordinary safety and family-functioning questions a home visit may cover, and why staging a perfect house is not the goal. The appointment order and evaluator's written instructions control your case.
What is included?
Five self-paced modules with fifteen short reading lessons, a three-question knowledge check after each module, and four printable downloads, including a home-visit checklist and a child-focused preparation worksheet. Allow about two hours.
Does the certificate meet a court order?
The certificate records completion of Child-Focused Participation in Custody Evaluations after you meet the course requirements and confirm your legal name. It is not a promise that the course satisfies a court-ordered class. Compare your order's subject, hours, format, and provider instructions before buying for that purpose.
Is this legal advice or an evaluator service?
No. It is general education by Suzanne Dircks, M.A., LMHC. The course does not provide an evaluation, legal representation, a promised report, or an outcome. Follow your court order and your own attorney's advice.
Start tonight. Your progress saves as you go.
Start the course · $49.95Your court decides whether this course meets its order.
