A COMPREHENSIVE CHILD CUSTODY EVALUATION (ACCESS)
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Gathering of information from each parent by direct interview, their filling out of extensive, custody-relevant questionnaires, psychological testing, and direct observations during several different configurations, both in our office and during in-home visits, including the child in the simultaneous presence of both parents, as well as alone with each parent, allowing us to compare and contrast the child's reactions among different actual and psychological contexts. Each parent is asked to supply us with a list of collateral informants, enabling us to gather multiple sources of data. With this information we sought convergent lines of independently derived information giving the Highest Priorty to our data-based direct-observation formats, as well as our data-based tests. Interview data are reported as "information for a decision-maker", and are never used for first-level inferences.

The main purpose is to generate information helpful to a decision-maker in deciding about the legal custody of the child and an optimal time-share plan. The premise of our model, A Comprehensive Custody Evaluation Standard System, or ACCESS is to make optimally available to a child the best of the assets and resources each parent can offer.

Our approach seeks to discover not just what parents know and do, but more importantly, the manner in which each parent's range of styles impacts a specific child, given that child's psychological, developmental, and educational characteristics.

ACCESS Written Report; Questionnaire Self Report Data Form; Collaterial Interview Form; Pertinent Recrds; The Parent Awareness Skills Survey (PASS); The Perception-of-Relationships Test (PORT); The Bricklin Perceptual Scales (BPS); and The Bricklin Elliot Home Visit Booklet