Admissibility of Parenting Capacity Evaluations

I. ISSUE In the child welfare context, protective agencies, the courts, and attorneys often turn to psychologists to evaluate parenting capacity. This issue brief aids attorneys representing parents in child welfare proceedings by: (1) describing the components and methodology of a typical parenting capacity evaluation; (2) describing the uses and limitations of a parenting capacity evaluation; (3) reviewing the evidentiary standards in Oregon for admission of scientific evidence, particularly psychological testing; and (4) offering a roadmap for challenging the admissibility of parenting capacity evaluations as evidence in child welfare proceedings.