In some conflicted Placer County Child Custody cases, parties raise issues concerning the other parent’s abuse of alcohol and/or drugs. If Placer County Family Court Services mediators and the judge are concerned, they may order a substance abuse evaluation with a licensed substance abuse counselor with training in diagnosing substance abuse. The Placer County Family Court is very concerned with this issue because the law requires it to consider the habitual illegal use of controlled substances and habitual use of alcohol in determining which custody arrangement would be in the best interest of the child. The outcome of the substance abuse evaluation will affect the Placer County court’s custody decisions.
The substance abuse counselor will interview one (or both) of the parents and ask them to take a wide range of psychological diagnostic tests. These tests are designed to uncover evidence of current and past indicators of substance abuse. The tests are also useful in determining if a party is under reporting or lying about their substance use and abuse. The substance abuse counselor will ask questions about each party’s history of alcohol use, drunkenness, criminal arrests and convictions, and parenting while using alcohol. The counselor will review the court pleading history on the issue and may interview other witnesses to obtain their perspective on the abuse allegations and their observations of the accused spouse’s alcohol use.
If you are involved in a Placer County Child Custody case and there are 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 prepare your case. Please contact us today.
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