EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF REFERRAL ISSUES AND “ULTIMATE ISSUE” RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARENTS IN CHILD PROTECTION CASES*

Mental health professionals frequently respond to requests for clinical information on parents in child protection cases; however, little data exist on the issues precipitating requests or on the controversial practice of offering “ultimate issue” recommendations in forensic clinical reports. We investigated 243 requests for clinical information on parents and 204 clinician reports submitted for use in child abuse and neglect proceedings in a large, urban juvenile court system. We coded 56 objective and qualitative characteristics regarding referral questions, pending legal issues, and four levels of recommendations. We found that the most common referral questions related to service planning, parenting ability, and/or parents' mental health functioning, and the most common pending legal issues were selection or change of a permanency goal and visitation arrangements. Levels of recommendations varied with type of legal decision, in that clinicians always offered direct recommendations for narrow, statute‐based issues (e.g., termination of rights, adoption) and less so for other issues. Community‐based evaluators were more likely to offer direct recommendations than court‐based clinicians. Based on the findings, we offer practice recommendations and directions for further research in forensic parenting assessment.     

CONSULTANT CONDUCT IN ANTICIPATION OF A CHILD CUSTODY EVALUATION: ETHICAL AND SOCIAL DILEMMAS AND THE NEED FOR NEUTRAL PARENT EDUCATION

Mental health professionals are being retained with increasing frequency as “custody consultants” to prepare a parent for a child custody evaluation. While this practice may serve a legitimate function, no ethical guidelines clearly govern the conduct of a consultant in such circumstances. This lack of guidance has led to professional disagreement regarding the ethical implications of the practice. This ethical ambiguity is accompanied by social concern regarding the high cost of custody consulting, which has the practical effect of denying consulting services to low‐income or self‐represented litigants. This Note will describe the growing practice of custody consulting and the ethical and social unease currently associated with the practice. This Note will then propose that mandatory parent education programs be developed for parents preparing to undergo a custody evaluation. This type of educational program would provide many of the benefits of custody consulting in an ethically neutral fashion and would ensure that all parents have access to the benefits of this growing practice.     

A study on the depression levels of children who are brought to the forensic DNA laboratory for paternity testing

This study aims to identify the depression levels of children who were brought to the forensic DNA laboratory for paternity testing. A total of 35 such children were enrolled in the study. Data were gathered using the parent interview form, general information form for children, and the "Child Depression Scale" as it had been tested for validity and reliability in the 6-17 year age group in the country. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe test. The results showed that the age of children who were brought in for paternity testing created a meaningful difference in their depression scores (p < 0.01) while gender did not. In addition, c. 63% of the children in this study did not know why they were in the laboratory, which also caused a meaningful difference in depression scores (p < 0.01).     

少数民族非物质文化遗产旅游可持续发展的思考——以云南、贵州、海南为例

通过云南、贵州、海南的实践经历,认为新时期少数民族非物质文化遗产旅游开发成效显著,开发模式不断增加,旅游精品不断涌现,旅游开发管理与促销成绩突出,但开发中也呈现出浅层次开发、歪曲性开发、重复性开发、过度性开发、片面性开发与隔离式开发等问题。为了实现非物质文化遗产旅游的可持续发展,政府、学者、企业与民族群众要密切协作,增强文化遗产的长远保护意识,借鉴国外成功经验,打造非物质文化遗产体验游,不断完善旅游开发的保障体系。     

Why is it taking so long to move down the road?: Creating a regional border agreement in the DMV as an alternative for the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is an agreement between all 50 states and the District of Columbia governing the process of placing a foster child out of state. Notorious for its long wait times and system backlog, the ICPC presents a host of problems for children attempting to move mere minutes across state lines to be with a relative or kin placement instead of state foster care. In an effort to make this process smoother, 18 different “border agreements” have been adopted by several neighboring states across the U.S. Such border agreements give temporary placement licenses to relatives and kin while the ICPC process is ongoing. While this is a good start towards a solution, the ICPC could be further streamlined if border agreements were used more widely, especially in regional contexts. This article considers the possibility of such a regional agreement between the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia (known as the “DMV”). By comparing and contrasting two existing border agreements in these three jurisdictions, a regional DMV border agreement can be created implementing the best terms of both agreements.     

The red herring of adolescent mental health

An increase in adolescent distress and mental health symptoms has been clearly documented since the COVID-19 pandemic, as has increased exposure to adverse childhood experiences. Layer on top of these stressors being a youth of divorcing or separating high conflict families, and adolescent symptomatology can suddenly become a flashpoint for parental attention, division and conflict. Approaching cases using an ecological and family systems framework is necessary for accurate conceptualization and assessment of best interests in the context of child custody evaluations. Doing so ensures that adolescent mental health does not become a red herring in high conflict cases, leading to undue focus on the adolescent's mental health without considering other salient factors in the case, such as the broader parent conflict. Programs offered at the Center of Excellence for Children, Families & the Law at William James College designed to improve the lives of youth by addressing parental conflict are described.     

从“虐童事件”看儿童权益的法律保护

近段时间,＂虐童事件＂成为街头巷尾的热点话题,网上各种言论也是铺天盖地,针对这一热点话题从事实和法律两个角度探寻事件发生的原因,重新审视我国现有法律体系对儿童权益保护的缺失,并试图从现有法律体系框架下尝试性地探索加强儿童权益保护的补救措施。