there has been much concern about the quality of assessments conducted for the family justice system. additionally, concern in the child care and family justice systems about delay and its consequences has led to pressure on mental health practitioners to proffer decisions that avoid prolonged uncertainty for the child
• Courts now have much more specific requirements of expert witnesses
• there is a need for a rational basis for the choice of assessments, and for the practitioner to make explicit the process of their assessment and decision-making, and to have demonstrated that alternative explanations have been considered
• there is greater interest in attachment research and practice, and its importance in child development. One result is an emphasis on parental support or kinship care for children who require out-of-home care