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→Views of the child reports
There are two kinds of reports that are limited to describing the children's views, ''evaluative'' views of the child reports, prepared under section 211(1)(b) of the ''Family Law Act'', and ''non-evaluative'' views of the child reports, prepared under sections 37(2)(b) and 202 of the act. These reports are sometimes also called "hear the child" reports and "voice of the child" reports, but they're both focused on speaking to a child and describing what the child has said. ("Evaluative" reports are prepared only by mental health professionals and include the author's opinion of the child's views, while "non-evaluative" reports can be prepared by anyone with the right training and experience, and contain only a factual statement of what the child has told the author.)
These reports are often used to get a statement of the child's views for the purposes of the best-interests tests in sections 37 and 38 of the ''Family Law Act'' and section 16 of the ''[[Divorce Act]]''. While they're normally very helpful, in cases where a child is estranged or alienated from a parent, they're helpfulness is limited. Reports in circumstances like these may only deepen the disruption in the child's attachment to the rejected parent as they give the child the chance to confirm their negative views about that parent, and put those views on the record. In cases like this, views of the child reports may only serve to tell everyone what they already know, and putting making a permanent record of the child's views on the record may make it impossible for the child's relationship with the rejected parent to ever heal.
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