I am assigned by family courts to work as an expert on questions concerning

​

• Custody / access rights (§§ 1671, 1684, 1685, 1909 BGB) 

• Child endangerment of well-being (§1666 BGB)

• Sheltered accommodation in youth welfare (§ 1631b BGB)

• Repatriations of children who were taken out of their families earlier (§1632 BGB)

 

The preparation of an assessment takes on average between three and six months and is based on the deadline given by the court. In the best interest of the child, the assessment is completed as quickly as possible (acceleration requirement).

 

In the first step after analyzing the file, psychological questions are derived from the legal questions and a suitable plan is prepared. This may include the following factors:

 

• General exploration of the parties involved (usually child parents and child(ren)). 

• Biographical anamnesis/family history

• Relationship to the child

• Test diagnostics

• Interaction observations between child(ren) and parents

• Home visits

• Professional interviews

 

After the complete analysis of all aspects, the psychological as well as the judicial questions are answered with the help of the exploration, the different psychodiagnostic tests and the observations.

​

As a matter of principle, I follow the recommendations of the Working Group on Family Law Expert Opinions 2019 "Minimum Requirements for the Quality of Expert Opinions in the Law of Parent and Child", which you can view as a pdf document at www.bmjv.de. The assessments I prepare have a clear structure, are scientifically sound and written in a language that is comprehensible for all parties involved.

 

It is very important to me to treat everybody with respect for their person and cultural background.

 

According to §§163 (2) FamFG, the family court can order the expert to work towards achieving agreement between the parties involved when preparing the assessment. An intervening procedure with the aim of working towards agreement presupposes that a complete family psychological diagnosis has been carried out. The subsequent intervention can take many forms in individual cases, but often includes joint parenting discussions, psychoeducation, a "round table" and/or a trial phase. 

 

Regardless of whether the parties involved succeed in reaching an amicable agreement, the judicial questions can be answered on the basis of the family psychological diagnosis that has been obtained.

​