==Reports and assessments about parenting after separation==
Parents, guardians, arbitrators and judges sometimes need help in deciding what arrangements for parenting arrangements after separation are in the best interests of the children and need to get someone else's input. The people from whom input is usually sought include psychologists, clinical counsellors, family justice counsellors and social workers. Sometimes, input is often sought from the children themselves.
The sort of input people look for changes depending on the circumstances and the issues. Sometimes all that's needed is a short consultation with a mental health professional. However, if what's needed is advice, a report, an opinion or recommendations that will be used in mediation, collaborative negotiation, arbitration or a court proceeding, something more substantial may be required.
Under section 211(1) of the provincial ''Family Law Act'' , people can agree or the court can order that a mental health professional will assess and prepare a report on one or more of:
#the needs of a child,
#the views of a child, and
#the ability and willingness of the parties to meet the child's needs.
Mental health professionals Most of the time, reports under section 211 cover all of these subjects. Reports like this talk about the family, the children, and the arrangements that are in the best interests of the children, and are usually described as "section 211 reports," "parenting assessments" or something similar. Under the old ''[http://canlii.ca/t/ldg3 Family Relations Act]'', these were called "section 15 reports" or "custody and access reports."
Parents, guardians, Since section 37(2)(b) of the ''Family Law Act'' requires parties and the court sometimes need help in to consider the views of the child when deciding what is in the child's best interests , people can agree or the court can order that a mental health professional or anyone else with the right kind of training, including lawyers, will prepare a report on the children and need to get someone elsechild's inputviews. These reports don't involve an assessment, which might be from just a psychologist, clinical counsellor, family justice counsellor or social worker, or from report about what the child has told the children themselvesperson interviewing them.
Mental heath professionals may prepare Reports that focus on the views of a ''needs of the child without an assessment'' that talks about the family, the children, and the arrangements that are in the best interests usually described as "views of the children. These are sometimes also called custody and access child reports, section 211 " "hear the child reports, and views " or "voice of the child reports. Under " However they're described, the old 'key difference between these reports and a report under section 211 is that they don'[http://canlii.ca/t/ldg3 Family Relations Act]involve the interviewer'', these were called section 15 reportss analysis or opinion of what the child has told them. These reports are ''non-evaluative'' reports because the professional who prepares them offers an opinion about the best interest of the children.
Mental health professionals and other people with special training in interviewing children, including lawyers, may prepare a ''views of the child report'' that talks about the views and wishes of the children, without offering an opinion about the arrangements that are in the best interests of the children. These ===Section 211 reports are sometimes also called voice of the child reports. They are ''non-evaluative'' because the person who prepares them just reports on what the child has said, without offering an opinion on the child's views or best interests.===
===Needs Reports prepared under section 211 of the child assessments===''Family Law Act'' are prepared by psychologists, clinical counsellors, family justice counsellors and social workers. They must be in writing, and the court can make orders about who will prepare the report and how the report is to be paid for. Picking the sort of mental health professional who will prepare the assessment often depends on what type of assessment is required, and whether there's money to pay for it. Psychologists, clinical counsellors and social workers will charge for their work. Reports from family justice counsellors are free, but, because they're free, there's a huge demand on family justice counsellors' time and it may take many months before they can complete a section 211 report.
Section Regardless of which sort of mental health professional assesses the family, if the report is a full assessment, covering all of the subjects listed at section 211 (1), the assessor will meet each of the parents separately and see each of them again with the children. If the children are old enough and mature enough, the assessor may speak to the children separately. The assessor may also speak to other people who know the parents and their children, such as friends, family and neighbours, the children''[[Family Law Act]]'' allows s teachers, and any counsellors or therapists who might be involved with the court to order an assessment of:family.
#the needs of a child, #the views of a child, and #the ability of a party to meet the child's needs. A needs of the child assessment or section 211 report can be limited to one enquiry or be a full assessment including an assessment of all three areas (a ''full'' section 211 report). These assessments must be in writing, and the court can make orders as to who will prepare the assessment and how the assessment is to be paid for. Who will prepare the assessment often depends on what type of assessment is required, and whether there's money to pay for it. Regardless of who assesses the family, if the report is a full assessment, the assessor will meet each of the parents separately and meet them each again in the presence of the children. If the children are old enough, the assessor may speak to the children separately. The assessor may also speak to other people who know the parents and their children, such as friends, family and neighbours, the children's teachers, and any counsellors or therapists. Once the assessment is finished, the assessor sends the their assessment to the parties, as well as to the court if the assessment was court-ordered. These assessments can be used in two ways: to encourage settlementhelp the parties reach an agreement resolving their dispute; and, at trialin court, to help persuade the court that the one party's proposal about parenting proposal of one parent or guardian after separation is more likely to be preferred over that in the best interests of the children than the proposal of the otherparty. The When section 211 reports are used at trial, the person who prepared the assessment report can be called asked to come to court to testify give evidence about their assessment and their recommendations at the trial and will be subject to cross-examination as to how they conducted the assessment and reached their conclusions and recommendations.
It is important to remember that the function of assessors in court is to present their recommendations and the evidence that they relied on, such as test scores and interview observations, in coming to those recommendations. At the end of the day, it is always up to the judge to decide the parenting arrangements for the children. A needs of the child assessment is merely the assessor's recommendation to the court based on their particular expertise as an experienced psychologist, psychiatrist, or family justice counsellor. The assessment is not a final determination of the issue.