CHILD & FAMILY INVESTIGATION

A Child and Family Investigator (CFI) is a court appointed expert that makes recommendations to the Court on what parenting time and/or decision-making should be for children in contested child custody disputes. These experts are usually attorneys or mental health professionals that have taken additional training to be qualified to investigate and make recommendations to the Court. 

About CFI Services

CFI services are not advocacy services for clients involved in a family law dispute, meaning that the CFI does not represent any party or the children at issue. Instead, the CFI is charged with making recommendations to the Court as the investigative arm of the Court. To obtain a CFI in your case, a party must file a motion with the Court and the Court must agree to appoint a CFI. Not every case requires a CFI and CFI’s are most often used in cases involving issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse, child abuse or neglect, long-distance parenting plans, relocation, and cases with other highly contested issues. 

In order to make recommendations on the best interests of the child(ren), CFI’s will often:

• Interview both parents
• Conduct home visits with the child(ren) present 
• Interview other individuals that are active in the child(ren)’s life
• Obtain information from the child(ren)’s school
• Review any extraordinary medical or educational needs
• Review criminal history of either parent

After compiling the relevant information, the CFI will make recommendations to the court. Keep in mind that a child’s best interests may not be the same as the child’s or either parent’s preferences. Child and family investigators will not necessarily agree with the child or either parent when it comes to making recommendations if the child or parent’s preferences are not in line with the investigator’s assessment. Similarly, the Court is not required to adopt the CFI’s findings and recommendations. The role of the CFI is to make recommendations to the Court, but ultimately, the parties or the Court will make the final determination.