Difference between revisions of "How Do I Get a Needs of the Child Assessment?"

The professional appointed to prepare the report will usually: interview the child's parents or guardians; interview the children, depending on their age and maturity; watch each parent or guardian interacting with and parenting the children; administer personality and parenting tests to the parents; read any reports that are available about the children's medical and mental health; and, interview a few people who know the family and the children. What the professional actually does will depend on the circumstances of the family and the sort of report he or she has been asked to write.  

The report the professional will prepare is called a ''needs of the child assessment'', and will provide a summary of what the professional has learned about the family as well as the professional's opinion about what is in the best interests of the children. (You might also hear these reports called ''section 211 reports''. Under the old ''[http://canlii.ca/t/ldg3 Family Relations Act]'', these reports were called ''section 15 reports'' or ''custody and access reports''.) These reports are intended to be neutral and prepared without bias. They are ''evaluative'' because the professional is providing his or her expert opinion about the parents or guardians, the children and the arrangements that are best for the children.