Children, Families and the Law

CLI MH512 - Children, Families and the Law

Credits: 2

This course focuses in the use of clinical mental health information in courts and other legal settings in cases that involved children and families. The course reviews the framework of law involving children and families, particularly law and legal procedure regarding child abuse and neglect proceedings, juvenile delinquency, status offenses, and divorce child custody proceedings. The role of the psychologist in conducting forensic evaluations is discussed in detail, including specific kinds of clinical and ethical challenges that may arise. Specialized evaluations such as violence risk assessments and domestic abuse assessments are described. Particular attention is paid to how psychologists conduct forensic evaluations for use in civil and criminal proceedings involving adults, and how their findings are communicated in the form of written reports or testimony before the court.