Parenting Time Evaluations for Indiana Family Courts

Some family disputes are not about custody at all. Both parents may share decision-making, or that question may already be settled, yet they cannot agree on the schedule: school nights, holidays, summers, exchanges, or how a young child's time should grow as the child does. A parenting time evaluation gives the court a clear, child-centered answer to that narrower question.

Dr. David Lombard, PhD, is a licensed Indiana psychologist with more than 30 years of clinical and forensic experience. Because a parenting time evaluation is scoped to the schedule itself, it is generally more contained in time and cost than a full parenting plan (child custody) evaluation, while relying on the same careful, evidence-based method.

A schedule is more than a calendar. For a child, it shapes bedtimes, friendships, and the steady rhythm of feeling at home in two places. Dr. Lombard approaches each case with that in mind, and with respect for parents who are trying, often under strain, to do right by their children.

When a Parenting Time Evaluation Fits

The Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines rest on the premise that a child usually benefits from frequent, meaningful, and continuing contact with each parent. They are a model built around children's developmental stages, meant to be adjusted to the needs of each family, and they are presumed to apply in all cases. Indiana law also provides that a parent without custody is entitled to reasonable parenting time unless the court finds it might endanger the child's physical health or significantly impair the child's emotional development (IC 31-17-4-1).

Most families can work within that framework. A parenting time evaluation helps when they cannot, for example:

• Parents disagree about whether the standard schedule, an expanded schedule, or a shared schedule best fits the child.

• A child's age, temperament, or special needs may call for a deviation from the Guidelines.

• An infant or toddler's schedule needs to be structured and stepped up thoughtfully over time.

• A parent has been absent from the child's life and a reunification schedule is being considered.

• A parent is relocating, or work schedules make the standard arrangement unworkable.

• There are concerns that could support supervised or restricted parenting time, and the court needs objective information before deciding.

What the Evaluation Examines

A parenting time evaluation asks one practical question: what schedule is most likely to support this child's development and relationships with both parents? To answer it, Dr. Lombard looks at:

• The child's age, developmental stage, temperament, and any special needs.

• The quality of the child's relationship with each parent, and how the child responds to transitions.

• Each parent's history of caregiving and ability to meet the child's day-to-day needs during parenting time.

• Practical factors such as distance between homes, school schedules, work hours, and transportation.

• The level of conflict between the parents, and how exchanges can be arranged to protect the child from it.

• Any safety concerns, and whether supervision or other conditions are warranted.

The resulting recommendations are specific and workable, addressing the regular schedule, holidays and school breaks, exchanges, communication, and, where appropriate, how the schedule should change as the child grows.

The Evaluation Process

The process follows the same multi-method approach as a full evaluation, sized to the narrower question.

1. Court order and informed consent. The order defines the scheduling questions. Each parent learns in plain language what the evaluation covers and who will receive the report.

2. Parent interviews. Each parent meets individually with Dr. Lombard to discuss the child's routines, needs, and the schedule they propose, and why.

3. Parent and child observations. Dr. Lombard observes the child with each parent, with attention to comfort, connection, and how transitions are handled.

4. Child interview, when age-appropriate. Children share their experience in a developmentally suitable way. They are never asked to choose a schedule or a parent.

5. Targeted records and collateral contacts. School attendance, pediatric, and child care records, and a small number of relevant contacts, are reviewed as the question requires.

6. Focused report. The report sets out the findings, a recommended schedule, and the reasoning that connects them.

7. Testimony, if needed. Dr. Lombard is available to testify regarding the evaluation.

Standards and Neutrality

Every evaluation follows the APA Ethics Code, the APA Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, the APA Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Family Law Proceedings (2022), and the AFCC Guidelines for Parenting Plan Evaluations in Family Law Cases (2022), applied to the scope of the parenting time question.

Dr. Lombard serves as an impartial evaluator, not an advocate for either parent. He does not provide therapy, counseling, or pastoral care to any party or child in a case he is evaluating, and he does not evaluate anyone he has previously treated. Both parents receive the same procedures and the same opportunity to be heard.

When a Full Parenting Plan Evaluation Is Needed Instead

If decision-making authority is contested, or if serious concerns about a parent's fitness go beyond the schedule itself, a comprehensive Parenting Plan (Child Custody) Evaluation is usually the better fit. When the right scope is unclear, Dr. Lombard is glad to talk it through with the court or counsel before an order is entered.

For Judges, Attorneys, and Guardians ad Litem

Dr. Lombard accepts court appointments and agreed attorney referrals for parenting time evaluations in all Indiana counties, with a particular focus on northeast Indiana. Court staff and counsel are welcome to contact the office to:

• Confirm availability and current scheduling.

• Request Dr. Lombard's CV.

• Decide whether a focused or comprehensive evaluation fits the case.

• Review suggested language for an order of appointment.

Discuss a Case → Contact Us

Children grow best with steadiness and time with the people who love them. A well-built schedule is one way to protect both.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between parenting time and visitation? They refer to the same thing. Indiana uses "parenting time" instead of "visitation" to emphasize that a parent's time with a child is part of a continuing relationship, not a visit.

If the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines already exist, why would we need an evaluation? The Guidelines are a starting model, designed to be adjusted to each family's circumstances. An evaluation gives the court objective information when parents disagree about whether, or how, the model should be adjusted for their child.

How long does a parenting time evaluation take? Most are completed in about [X to Y] weeks from the signed order and retainer, depending on the number of people involved and how quickly records and appointments are completed.

How are fees handled? Parenting time evaluations are conducted on a retainer basis of [amount or range], typically less than a full parenting plan evaluation. The court order or the parties' agreement usually specifies how the cost is divided.

Will my child have to tell the evaluator which schedule they want? No. Children are never asked to choose. When a child is old enough, Dr. Lombard listens to how the child experiences the current arrangement, which is one source of information among many.

Can the evaluation address supervised parenting time? Yes. When there are safety concerns, the evaluation can address whether supervision or other conditions are warranted, and what steps might support a return to unsupervised time.

References

• Indiana Supreme Court. Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines (Preamble and Guidelines). rules.incourts.gov

• Indiana Code 31-17-4-1 and 31-17-4-2 (parenting time rights; modification and restriction). Justia: IC 31-17-4

• American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. apa.org/ethics/code

• American Psychological Association. (2013). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology. apa.org/practice/guidelines/forensic-psychology

• American Psychological Association. (2022). Guidelines for child custody evaluations in family law proceedings. apa.org (PDF)

• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. (2022). Guidelines for parenting plan evaluations in family law cases. afccnet.org (PDF)