Guidelines for psychological evaluations in child protection matters.

Presents the American Psychological Association's (APA's) guidelines for desirable professional practice in child protection matters. The guidelines were developed primarily for psychologists conducting psychological evaluations in child protection matters. The guidelines build on the APA's Ethical Principals of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA, 1992) and are aspirational in intent. The term guidelines refers to pronouncements, statements, or declarations that suggest or recommend specific professional behavior, endeavor, or conduct for psychologists (APA, 1992). The guidelines are not intended to be either mandatory or exhaustive and may not always be applicable to legal matters. Their aspirational intent is to facilitate the continued systematic development of the profession and to help assure a high level of professional practice by psychologists. The specific goal of the guidelines is to promote proficiency in using psychological expertise in conducting psychological evaluations in child protection matters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)