Inside the Custody Evaluation: What Evaluators Look For and How to Prepare

Custody evaluations intimidate parents because they feel like a private probe into family life. This episode cuts through the fear with clear, actionable advice: what evaluators assess (parenting capacity, routines, child adjustment, safety concerns), the exact documents and records that carry weight, and the top behaviors that hurt more than help. You’ll get three focused takeaways you can use today — how to organize evidence, what to document about daily parenting and communication, and how to handle interviews with evaluators and children without undermining your case. The goal is practical preparation: reduce surprises, protect your relationship with the child, and give the court the credible information it needs. Jeff Hensley’s conversational, no-nonsense style walks through realistic examples and quick dos and don’ts for Oklahoma parents facing evaluations.