Interested in becoming a Custody Evaluator? Start with your approved 40-CE training.

Complete 40-hours of approved training. Our child custody 101 series fulfills this qualification for California. While it fulfills requirements in many other states/jurisdictions, if you are not located in California, we recommend checking with your local jurisdiction to verify CE carryover.

Completed your 40-hour Training and ready for your next steps?

1.       Fill out form FL-326
2.       Complete your supervised evaluations. Find a mentor/supervisor by:
   1.       Joining your local chapter of the AFCC, so you can find other members and groups in your area
   2.       Reaching out to the official California AFCC Mentors
3.       Can’t find a supervisor?
   1.       Some jurisdictions will allow you to get an exception to the supervision requirement by offering to complete your initial evaluations for free/pro-bono,
4.       After becoming an Evaluator, keep your CCE credentials up to date by ensuring you complete your annual update requirements!

To read the full requirements, read the California Rules of Court Rule 5.225.

Complete the 16-hour IPV Requitement

The 40 hours training series satisfies the 40-hour CE training requirement defined in Rule of court 5.225. The 16 hour CE IPV requirement is a separate requirement in addition to the 40 hours, defined in Rule of court 5.230 (and mentioned in rule of court 5.225). 

According to the California Rules of Courst, any of SFG's courses specifically on the topic of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)/Domestic Violence (DV) can be applied to this requirement. 

These are our currently available IPV/DV courses:

• 2023 Annual IPV Update (4.0 CEs)
• 2024 Annual IPV Update (4.0 CEs)
• Webinar: 2025 Annual IPV Update (Oct 25, 8:45am PT) (4.0 CEs)
• Assessing Risk of Child Abuse and Domestic Violence in PPEs (1.5 CEs)
• Behind the Screens: Understanding the Use of Cybercrime in Domestic Violence Implications for Child Custody Evaluations and Parenting Plan Development (2.0 CEs)
• Understanding the Impact of IPV on PPEs (3.0 CEs)

Not located in California?

While rules throughout the United States and Canada for the registration of a Custody Evaluation are similar, the specifics do change between jurisdictions. If you are in another state or are outside the United States, please reach out to your local AFCC chapter and read the Rules of Court of your jurisdiction to find details on completing your certification as a Custody Evaluator.