Parenting plan evaluation

When mediation is unsuccessful or the Court otherwise orders it, Family Court Services evaluates the needs of children and the ability of each parent to meet the children's needs.

In an evaluation:

• Both parents are interviewed to gain an understanding of their parenting views, concerns, and skills.
• Additional information may be gathered by observing the parent with the children, talking with the children, home visits, or consulting with other professionals who may have information on the child's needs and the skills of each parent.
• The parents may be referred to community resources that can help them solve problems or gain new skills that can help them with parenting.
• The findings and recommendations of the evaluation are reported to parents, their attorneys and the Court.

If your case has been sent to Family Court Services for an evaluation by court order, or if your case has been administratively transferred to Family Court Services, you must complete the appropriate Evaluation Questionnaire (409KB) and send it to the address on the form before appearing for your appointment.

Evaluations are only completed for families who have a Family Law case pending with the Court. Evaluation Questionnaire.

Fees

Evaluation Fees are assessed on a sliding fee scale. They are similar to the calculations on the Child Support Worksheet (123KB). Each party pays their own fee based on their individual income. The total fee will not be more than $2,000. Fee payments are divided over a 12-month period. Payments cannot be less than $25 per month.

A fee invoice will be sent to each client about 2 weeks after the Parenting Plan Evaluation report is submitted to the court and parties. The invoice will be from the King County Finance office.

If you are unable to afford the full fee amount, we have a Fee Reduction Request form (70.7MB). You must complete the entire form and submit it no later than 2 weeks after receiving your invoice.