Writing Children's Needs Assessments

This course will provide a general overview of writing children's needs assessments, including "Views of the Child" reports and "Full" reports. There is a focus on section 211 - Orders respecting reports, from the Family Law Act (FLA). Investigative, observational and interviewing techniques will be discussed as they relate to assisting the learner in making a recommendation in the "best interest of the children." The student will also be exposed to various factors and applicable research (e.g. age appropriate timesharing) that need to be considered in making a recommendations. Participants will learn how to develop a systematic framework for the process of writing both "Views of the Child" and "Full" reports, from the time the report is ordered by the court to the end result of the process. Participants will also become familiar with guidelines for this type of evaluation that are established to regulate the field and to ensure accuracy and fairness in the assessment process.