Table of Contents

1: Introduction; 1: Significant issues in the assessment of parenting; 2: Components of parenting assessments; 2: Assessing family functioning in parenting breakdown; 3: The meaning of the child; 4: The child's perspective; 5: Emotionally abusive experiences; 6: Assessing protectiveness in cases of child sexual abuse; 7: Assessing treatability; 8: Predicting maltreatment; 9: Quantitative measures of parenting; 10: Giving due consideration to the family's racial and cultural background; 3: Specific circumstances; 11: Parents with psychiatric problems; 12: Parents who misuse drugs and alcohol; 13: Parents with learning disability; 14: Parents who are gay or lesbian; 15: Parents who have killed their partner; 16: Alternative caretakers; 17: What constitutes reasonable contact?; 4: Conclusions; 18: Balanced opinions

About the Author

Dr Peter Reder, Clare Lucey

Reviews

'Well written and pleasurable to read... The book will be valuable to psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and lawyers. The editors have gathered excellent contributions from eminent psychiatrists and psychologists. Those involved in parenting assessment and in the legal aspects of child care, particularly child psychiatrists, will find this book a must.' - British Journal of Psychiatry

`well written and pleasurable to read... The book will be valuable to psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and lawyers. The editors have gathered excellent contributions form eminent psychiatrists and psychologists. Those involved in parenting assessment and in the legal aspects of child care, particularly child psychiatrists, will find this book a must.' - British Journal of Psychiatry

'This book makes a valuable contribution to the field and will, I am sure, be widely used as a reference source.' - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry

'... this is a useful guide for all workers in the child care field, unique in its broad coverage of current thinking.' - Therapeutic Communities (1997) Vol 18(3)