Sacramento substance abuse evaluations can be very complicated and frustrating in a Sacramento Family Law case. The report is one expert witness’ description of his observations about the parent’s use of alcohol. Many parties feel that the counselor takes a “guilty before proven innocent” approach. In our experience, this impression is often correct because the substance abuse counselor and the court have an obligation to uphold the best interest of the children. Also, there are a significant number of alcohol abuse cases present in the court system.
Judges and mediators rely upon the evaluations received from the substance abuse counselor. If the counselor uncovers a history of substance abuse and/or a present indication of substance abuse, the counselor will make recommendations relating to visitation plans that help protect the safety of the children. The court will consider the counselor’s opinion and likely include it in its custody orders.
Thus, it is very important to have attorney representation before and throughout the substance evaluation process. The ill-informed parent can do tremendous damage to their custody case. It is important that each parent is prepared to give the court, the mediator and the substance abuse evaluator all the information so that no inappropriate or unfair substance abuse evaluations conclusions are reached.
If you are involved in a Sacramento Child Custody case and are dealing with substance abuse allegations and a substance abuse evaluation, please do not hesitate to call us for a free half-hour consultation. We will discuss your case and discuss the steps you should take to complete your case. Please contact us today.