Evaluations

We provide three types of professional evaluations:

I. Custody Home Studies: A home study includes:

  1. Testing for mental status
  2. History taking
  3. Parent/child relationships
  4. An assessment for parenting skills
  5. Contacts with references and collaterals, i.e., teachers, medical providers, and others as determined to be important by their involvement or relationship with the child
  6. A background check
  7. An assessment of how the parties are adjusting to the divorce
  8. A home visit with regard for safety and a child-friendly environment.
  9. All of this is summarized and followed by a recommendation for a custody arrangement, along with a rationale for the parents' and the Court's consideration.

The fee for a thorough and complete custody study ranges from $3000 to $9000, with the average study costing $4500. This does not include travel and expenses. Testimony in court is additional and is billed at $125 an hour. Fees have to be paid in full before a report is released.

Dr. Simpson has been doing home studies for a number of years. In 1996, he began devoting more and more of his time to doing home studies. As of December of 2008, he has completed 823 studies. He has traveled throughout the United States, including Alaska, in completion of these studies.

II. Parenting Assessment: A parenting assessment includes:

  1. Testing for mental status
  2. History taking
  3. Testing for parenting skills
  4. Observations of parent/child interactions
  5. Home visits with regard to safety and child-friendly environment
  6. Contacts with collaterals and references, i.e., teachers, medical providers, etc.
  7. Followed by a recommendation to focus on strengths and recommendations for remediation if needed, i.e., parenting classes, counseling, etc.

The current fee for a parenting assessment is $1000, plus travel and expenses. Court testimony is $125 per hour, in addition to the initial fee.

III. Adoption Studies: Adoption studies include:

  1. Assessment of mental status
  2. History taking
  3. Assessment of parenting skills
  4. Requests for special reports
    1. Medical checkups
    2. Alcohol and drug evaluations
    3. Background checks through the FBI
  5. Written references that can be verified
  6. An inspection of the proposed home for safety and a child-friendly environment
  7. This is followed by a summary, endorsement if the party qualifies, and specific recommendations for children, age, along with special consideration for handicapped, learning disordered, etc.

The fee for an adoption study is $1000. If travel is involved, these expenses are added to the cost.

Regardless of the type of study a retainer is required:

  1. A local custody study is $800 per parent, or $1600 to begin the study
  2. A distant custody study is $1000 per parent, or $2000 to begin the study
  3. An adoption and parenting assessment requires a retainer of $500, unless the referring agency guarantees payment of the fee; for example, the Department of Social Services.