| Workshop Name: | Foundations of Custody Evaluations | ||
Description: |
Perhaps due to the complexity of child custody disputes following separation and/or divorce, the courts often turn to mental health professionals to provide recommendations regarding parenting plans based on high-quality, unbiased, evidenced-based custody evaluations. This 48-hour workshop will provide participants with the foundational knowledge and skills for conducting custody evaluations. Consistent with provincial and international standards of practice and ethical guidelines for conducting custody evaluations, this workshop provides the foundation needed to conduct both private and publicly funded custody evaluations. This 48-hour workshop series consists of two modules: 1. Procedures for Conducting Custody Evaluations (CUST 1)2. Analysis and Reporting for Custody Evaluations (CUST 2) Each module will include a combination of lectures, class activities, role-plays and presentations from experts in the field. All participants are required to enroll and attend both CUST1 and CUST2, unless granted special permission by the Program Director. Upon completion of the program, participants dateswill receive a certificate of attendance indicating completion of the 48-hour workshop. Advanced Training 1. A three-day Advanced Seminar(CUST3)is offered for participants who have completed the 48-hour workshop series, and for advanced custody evaluators in the field with a Masters degree in a human service profession.2. One-day refresher seminars will be offered throughout the year(CUST 4).Topics covered will include the latest research and its application to custody evaluations. Prerequisites: Prospective students must have a Masters Degree in a human service profession from an accredited University. No prior experience in conducting custody evaluations is needed. In this course you will learn: To understand the role of custody evaluations within the context of divorce and separation To develop the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct custody evaluations that are therapeutic, transparent, ethical and of the highest integrity Data-gathering techniques (interviewing parents, children, collaterals) and their application The knowledge and skills necessary for accurate presentation of data supported by the best available evidence To appreciate core ethical, legal and clinical issues relevant to the context of conducting custody evaluations for the court [CUST1] Procedures for Conducting Custody Evaluation In this first module, participants will learn about the context of conducting custody evaluations, including policies, government legislations and Family Law (e.g. Divorce Act, Children’s Law Report Act, Child and Family Services Act, etc), that both sanction and provide guidelines for conducting evaluations. Participants will be introduced to contemporary clinical issues such as domestic violence, exposure to domestic violence, high conflict, alienation, abuse, relocation, and parenting. Participants will learn about the process of conducting custody evaluations by focusing on the steps for data gathering. Topics will include: interviewing parents, interviewing children, the role of new partners, the role of grandparents, the ecological validity of home observations visits, and interviewing professional collateral sources. [CUST2] Analysis and Reporting for Custody Evaluations In this second module, participants will learn about the strategies for analyzing and assessing data, conducting disclosure meetings, writing reports for the court, answering to disputes and testifying in court. Participants will learn ways of vetting for bias and dealing with ethical dilemmas that can arise in the course of this work. Case examples, roles plays and small group discussions will be used to enhance learning goals and to provide participants the opportunity to integrate course content. In this module, participants will also be given helpful strategies for starting their own private practice to conduct custody evaluations, including a custody evaluation tool kit. [CUST3] Advanced Seminar Training [CUST4] One-Day Workshop One-day refresher seminars will be offered throughout the year. Topics covered will include the latest research and its application to custody evaluations. The one-day workshops are open to participants who have completed the Foundations of Custody Evaluations program or who have demonstrable knowledge and experience in conducting custody evaluations. The purpose of the one-day workshops is to provide custody evaluations with the most up to date research and practice considerations for conducting evaluations. In this advanced seminar training, participants will learn about the most relevant scientific evidence in the areas of domestic violence, maltreatment, high conflict, alienation, and various parenting plans. By focusing on these contemporary issues, participants will improve their skills in conducting child custody evaluations, including interviewing, observing, analyzing and reporting within a thorough understanding of how these contemporary issues impact the custody evaluation process and reporting.
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| Fee: |
$526 (HST included) per module for CUST3 (November 22-24, 2012) $551 (HST included) per module for CUST1 (April 25-27, 2013), CUST2 (May 9-11, 2013), and CUST3 (November 14-16, 2013) $189 (HST included) for CUST4 (April 7, 2013)
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| Dates: |
[CUST3] Thursday, November 22nd to Saturday, November 24th 2012, 8:30am to 4:30pm [CUST1] Thursday, April 25 to Saturday, April 27, 2013, 8:30am to 4:30pm CUST2] Thursday, May 9 to Saturday, May 11, 2013, 8:30am to 4:30pm [CUST4] Sunday, April 7, 2013, 8:30am to 4:30pm [CUST3] Thursday, November 14 to Saturday, November 16, 2013, 8:30am to 4:30pm | ||
| Instructor(s): |
