Parenting is predominantly seen as a task involved with the socialization of children, within an ecological framework that considers these children in relation to their family, neighborhood, the larger social structure and economic, political and cultural environment. 

When the divorcing parties cannot agree on the terms of child custody, the court will call for a report to include recommendations on custody. Most situations benefit more from a custody evaluation, which may also include a psychological evaluation.

A full custody evaluation will allow the examiner to evaluate the children involved, assess the quality of the relationship between each parent and each child, and gather objective evidence concerning the status of each parent’s parenting skills and their general psychological health. More importantly, this evaluation process will accurately identify the parent’s capacity to satisfy the needs of the child within their ecological framework.