The future of parenting plan evaluations: A view from the trenches

• Published date: 01 October 2023
• Author: Kathleen McNamara,Mary Lund
• Date: 01 October 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12756

SPECIAL ISSUE ARTICLE

The future of parenting plan evaluations:

A view from the trenches

Kathleen McNamara

1

|Mary Lund

2

1

Independent Practice, Fort Collins,

Colorado, USA

2

Independent Practice, Santa Monica,

California, USA

Correspondence

Kathleen McNamara,

Email: kathleenmcnamaraphd@gmail.com

Abstract

As expectations rise for parenting plan evaluators to be

well-trained, skilled, and knowledgeable in numerous subject

areas, and scrutinyof evaluators' work intensifies, the pool of

qualified evaluators is shrinking nationwide. The future of

parenting plan evaluation as a forensic subspecialty relies

upon the availability of competent and committed profes-

sionals to do this challenging work, yet few are entering the

field. Five experienced parenting plan evaluators from vari-

ous regions of the United States, including the authors, met

for a roundtable discussion to ponder thefuture of parenting

plan evaluations. The panel discussed what drew them to

the work, their experiences “in the trenches,”and what has

kept them committed to doing evaluations despite daunting

challenges. Their views of the rewards and risks of doing the

work, barriers and disincentives to newcomers entering the

field, recommendations to new evaluators, and outlook for

the future are presented.

KEYWORDS

child custody evaluation, family forensic evaluation, parenting

plan evaluation

Key points for the family court community

•Parenting plan evaluation (“PPE”) is a well-established

forensic subspecialty with rigorous expectations for

training, skills, and knowledge. Scrutiny of the work can

be high and professional risks daunting.

DOI: 10.1111/fcre.12756

© 2023 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Family Court Rev. 2023;61:691–702. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fcre 691