Trying to decide if you should hire a custody investigator is never an easy task for parents.  This often means that they must accept that someone else is going to point out their flaws to them, and not everyone can accept this very well.  Other parents are able to adapt to the process quite quickly and handle it very well.  Unless you are sure that, there is no good coming from a custody investigation then you should have no problems with the process.

The goal of a good child custody investigator is simply to study both households, as well as parenting styles and the interaction of the parents with the children to help determine which parent is best suited to receive custody.  This is never an easy process under any circumstances but is often necessary.  While parents can voluntarily agree to this process, there are also times when a judge will require an investigator in order to help them decide upon custody placement.  

Just because the judge in your case orders an investigation does not mean trouble, it simply means that the judge is concerned about the well-being of your child and is looking for the best possible solution that will be best for the child in the long term.  This does not necessarily mean that one parent will win custody; it could mean that the judge decides upon a joint custody arrangement as well.  

A lot of times, this type of investigation will also be ordered if the judge suspects abuse, either mental, physical or sexual.  In addition, it could be ordered if either parent is alleging abuse against the other parent, or claims that the child has severe special needs that the other parent is not equipped to handle them.  This is one of the reasons why child custody investigators became popular; they are able to offer a neutral third party opinion to an often emotional process like custody.

Nevertheless, since the success of child custody investigators in abuse cases has been so widespread the use of investigators has even spread to other divorce cases that do not involve abuse as well.  There are many judge’s who have started ordering an investigation if the parties are requesting joint custody, or if the parents have been estranged for a very long time which could cause a hindrance in the bond of the child to one of the parents.  

The overall purpose is to make the child as comfortable as possible without creating further problems.

The investigator will look into all aspects of both parents’ lives, such as their living conditions, their job, and ability to parent, how they interact with the child, their parenting style and how the child reacts to that parenting style and even the way the parent talks about the other parent to the child.  

The investigators job to try to determine which parent is better suited for the child as the primary parent.  While the investigator does make the determination about which home is better, it is important to note that their determination is simply a recommendation.  The recommendation is given to the judge and the judge has the right to follow the recommendation or change it completely.  

This means that if you are on the “losing” end of an investigation you still stand a chance of being able to have some form of custody.  This is particularly useful if you feel as if you were treated unfairly by the investigator.  Your lawyer can always help you appeal the recommendation of the investigator as long as you have specific proof that you were treated unfairly.  

Never look at a child custody investigation as a bad thing.  The purpose is simply to provide what is best for your child.  However, parents sometimes lose sight of this in the process of working through a bitter divorce.  The courts are not equipped to always make decisions on their own without some guidance, and that is just what a child custody investigator provides.  Just do your best, and approach the situation with an open mind and just try your best for your child.  That is all you can do in these situations, and continue to show your child that no matter what the outcome you do still love them.