- Welcome to SPARC Forums.
Where can I find an electronic copy of the Parenting History Survey (PHS)? Or the actual survey on the web?
The PHS is a copyrighted work, and as such is not normally available on the internet. If you want an electronic copy, your best bet may be to scan a copy or pay someone to manually type it in for you.
The PHS is a copyrighted work, and as such is not normally available on the internet. If you want an electronic copy, your best bet may be to scan a copy or pay someone to manually type it in for you.
I'm new to all this...where do I start?
If you're just getting started on the SPARC site, we'd suggest doing the following:
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Read the Steps To Protect Yourself During Divorce page.
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Read the Tips for getting started page.
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Get an account on the message boards and start asking questions.
- Use the SPARC Search Engine to find specific information you're interested in on the message boards, or use this link to search the Articles.
After you've done that, come back here and browse the FAQ Center to see if there are any other topics that you'd like to find out more about. If you have questions that aren't answered in the FAQ Center, we encourage you to ask your question on the message boards.
We also suggest you start looking through the articles- almost 500 pages of practical, tips, tools, and techniques that cover numerous divorce and custody issues.
In general, your best source of continuing information will tend to be the message boards. It's a great place to ask questions, get ideas and advice, and to vent some frustration from time to time.
What is a Parenting or Custody evaluation?
A Parenting or Custody evaluation is an assessment of each spouse's parenting skills.
In a proper evaluation, a comprehensive investigation into each spouse's psychological makeup, parenting skills, and other factors is conducted and the results are weighed in an attempt to determine the best custody arrangements.
You can find a detailed explanation of the evaluation process here: Parenting Evaluation Guide
What's involved in a Parenting or Custody evaluation?
A Parenting or Custody evaluation typically involves a number of things, including personal interviews with the parents by trained evaluators, psychological testing of the parents, and interviews with "collateral contacts" such as teachers, neighbors, and friends.
One or more "parent-child play sessions" may also be conducted, where the parent and child are observed interacting.
Evaluations may also include drug and alcohol screenings or tests. The following pages contain specific information on custody evaluation methods:
Where can I find a good parenting evaluator?
The Professional Academy of Custody Evaluators is one place to start. Your attorney may have a list of evaluators he or she has worked with in the past. Local parenting and father-advocacy groups may also be able to provide referrals. Lastly, the local courts or social service agencies may also be able to provide you with resources.