Psychological Assessments for Family Proceedings: What Constitutes a Reliable Assessment

DR TRACEY TYLER Consultant Clinical Psychologist Teesside University School of Health and Social Care

The British Psychological Society defines an expert as 'a person who through special training study and experience is able to furnish the court tribunal or oral hearing with scientific or technical information which is likely to be outside the experience and knowledge of a judge magistrate convenor or jury'. In the case of the family courts the purpose of a psychological assessment will be determined by the exact instruction provided. However in general it is usually to advise the court as to the capacity a parent has in order to provide good enough parenting to a baby child or young person. By providing a view from a psychological perspective a reliable assessment should assist the court in thinking about psychological and cognitive aspects of a child and parent's functioning. A psychological assessment however that is not reliable is likely to add to the conflict and uncertainty that surrounds family cases and so is damaging to the system and the family....

Read the full article here.