Evaluations: Child and Family's Best Interest and Use in Court Proceedings

• NCJ Number: 213169
• Author(s): Eidell B. Wasserman Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): 97-VI-GX-0002
• Sponsoring Agency: Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
• Sale Source: Ctr on Child Abuse and Neglect
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded on February 27, 2006.

Annotation

This report explains the use and benefits of psychological evaluations for victims of child abuse in Native American communities.

Abstract

There are many important reasons for requesting a psychological evaluation for a child victim. Mental health professionals, such as psychologist and psychiatrists often have the skills to perform such evaluations, specifically targeted to provide specialized care, to provide evidence in a criminal trial, to assess a child’s ability to protect themselves in the future and to help determine whether their admission to an inpatient treatment program is necessary. Most importantly, psychological evaluations are performed for the sake of the child victim. Over the years, a number of “tests” or instruments to assess or measure many psychological factors have been developed by psychologists. These tests measure personality traits, mental stability, and depression or anxiety. There are many psychological instruments that measure everything from infant development to memory in the elderly. Psychological tests help to form ideas about what and where the problem is. An evaluation can help identify particular problems that a victim is experiencing. However, it is important to understand that an evaluation is just an assessment, a professional judgment based on limited information. The more information provided, the better a clinician’s evaluation. This paper, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, is intended to help parents, child protective service workers, prosecutors, and judges understand more about psychological evaluations especially when used in Native American communities with Native American children. The paper explains, but is not limited to who performs psychological evaluations, what evaluations consist of, the benefits and limits of evaluations for victims of crime, the roles of mental health professionals, performing evaluations, preparing children for a psychological exam, and an overview of psychological evaluations.