Where decisions about children are concerned, the question for parents and courts is "What is in the best interests of the child?'' " Obviously, separated parents may disagree about disagreements can arise around what's ''best '' when it comes to guardianship, parenting arrangements, or who has contact with a child. Section 37(2) of the ''[[Family Law act]]'' contains more specifics about the factors this consideration involves.  In some cases, a neutral third party is used needed to provide a reportobjectivity. Under s. 211, the court can appoint a person to <span class="noglossary">assess</span> one or more of:

Reports of the first kind are called ''needs of the child assessments''. You might also hear them called ''section 211 reports''. Under the old ''Family Relations Act'' these reports were called ''section 15 reports'' or ''custody and access reports''. These reports can be very helpful in resolving a dispute about the care of children. A court <span class="noglossary">will</span> usually give a great deal of weight to the assessor's opinion and recommendations. The neutrality of these reports is a very important standard.