Child Custody Evaluation Attorneys in Salt Lake County

Utah courts use the child custody evaluation process to gather information and make important decisions regarding parent time and custody rights. Evaluations can be stressful, emotional events that ultimately change the lives of parents and children, making preparation critical. Consulting with a child custody evaluation attorney in Salt Lake County or Utah County is key for achieving optimal results.

Call Eric M. Swinyard & Associates, PLLC in South Jordan at (801) 515-4133 to get started with a consultation.

What Is a Child Custody Evaluation?

Utah courts must make judgments related to multiple aspects of child custody, including parental access, living arrangements, and legal custody rights. To make informed decisions, the court uses child custody evaluations and evaluators to ask questions and ascertain the situation. The outcome of evaluations yields information about each party’s parenting ability along with the child’s developmental and emotional needs.

The evaluator is likely to look at a child’s preference relating to where they want to live, along with the benefits of keeping siblings together. Parents are evaluated on multiple levels including whether they have strong moral character or whether they’re fit to parent. The questions may seem intrusive or sometimes uncomfortable to answer, but it’s important to remain calm, collected, and focused on providing honest answers. The more straightforward parents are, the better the process will work.

Factors that evaluators consider include:

• Moral character of parents
• Financial position of parents
• Religious compatibility with child
• Past drug use
• Past child or spousal abuse
• Child’s preference
• Keeping siblings together
• The bond between the parent and child
• Ability to provide for the child

How to Prepare for a Child Custody Evaluation

The first step is to hire an experienced attorney. As qualified and experienced child custody evaluation lawyers in Salt Lake County, we can help you prepare for evaluations and give you insight into the questions you’ll be asked. It’s important to tell the truth and not give misleading answers to make the evaluation as effective as possible. This will help you attain the custody order you are seeking.

The next step is to find an evaluator. You can have your own evaluator appointed if they are qualified. At Eric M. Swinyard & Associates, PLLC, we can walk parents through the process of finding an evaluator and providing supplemental information to the court. Knowing the legal system is advantageous and can lead to positive outcomes in child custody cases.

Finally, you will have to provide the right documents, such as medical records, psychological tests, developmental histories, and neighbor interviews, which are important for the evaluation process. We can help you compile all the proper documentation and put it in a format the court will accept. This may seem like a daunting process, but we have experience finding and preparing relevant information. Whether you need to collate calendars or testimonials, we can make the process less stressful through consistent, professional service and support.

Request a Consultation with Eric M. Swinyard & Associates, PLLC

If you are going through a child custody evaluation in Utah and getting ready to meet with an evaluator, preparation is key. Consulting an experienced attorney is a prudent decision that can lead to an effective evaluation.

Contact us at (801) 515-4133 today to learn more about the legal process and child custody evaluations.