A Family Assessment
to Prioritize the Child's Needs.
Social investigations are a court-ordered comprehensive evaluation of the entire family system involved in a family court case. These investigations provide a neutral assessment of the family to assist the court in making decisions about time-sharing, parental responsibility, and the parenting plan, with the outcome always being centered on the best interests of the children within each family.
Every family has a story. We help the court understand yours.
What Is a Social Investigation in Florida?
A qualified professional — often a licensed mental-health counselor, clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, or psychologist — is appointed by the court to perform the social investigation. The evaluator gathers detailed information about you, your co-parent, and your children through interviews, home visits, observations, document review, and feedback from collateral contacts such as teachers, healthcare providers, and relatives.
The investigator then prepares a written report which can be submitted to the court, containing factual findings, psychosocial observations, and professional recommendations regarding time-sharing schedules, decision-making authority, and support services that may benefit the child and family.
What Is a Parenting Plan?
A parenting plan is the document that governs the relationship between the parents in decisions made about their minor child, and it must contain a detailed time-sharing schedule for the parents and the child. Beyond scheduling, it may address the issues that shape a child's daily life — from education and health care to social, physical, and emotional well-being.
Decision-Making Authority
How the parents share responsibility for major decisions about the child's education, health care, and upbringing.
Time-Sharing Schedule
A detailed schedule of when the child is with each parent covering everyday routines, holidays, and school breaks.
The Child's Well-Being
Provisions supporting the child's social, physical, and emotional well-being, and how the parents will communicate about them.
When a Social Investigation Is Ordered
In family court cases involving children — including paternity and divorce actions — Florida law directs the court to order a parenting plan in all proceedings involving minor children. When the parties do not agree on the provisions of that plan, a social investigation may be ordered to assist the court in developing or revising it.
An investigation may begin in one of three ways.
By Consent
Both parties agree to the social investigation and jointly request that one be conducted.
By Motion of a Party
Either party files a motion, and the court grants the request for a social investigation.
By the Court's Motion
The court, on its own motion, orders a social investigation to inform the parenting plan.
What the Investigation Assesses
Every social investigation is shaped to give the court a full, balanced picture of the family system, the parties, and the child — to fully evaluate and identify the best interests of the child for the creation or modification of the parenting plan.
The Court's Specific Questions
The particular issues the court identified in its social investigation order the concerns this case was ordered to answer.
Florida's Best Interest Factors
§61.13(3), Fla. Stat.
The full set of statutory factors Florida uses to decide what is in a child's best interests, considered thoughtfully for each parent and child.
Each Child's Safety & Well-Being
Any other matter touching the safety or well-being of a child covered by the parents' parenting plan, unique to each family.
What a Social Investigation Includes
Each investigation is tailored to the unique facts of the case. The following services are provided as determined necessary by the investigator.
- Completion of detailed questionnaires covering each parent's developmental, social, educational, employment, and relationship history; the co-parenting relationship and how each parent views its strengths and challenges; and a full history and present circumstances for each child
- Interviews with each child, parent, stepparent, or adult in a parenting role
- Interviews with objective character references submitted by each parent (collateral witness feedback)
- Contact with relevant professionals, such as teachers, doctors, therapists, and other professionals involved with the family
- A visit or visits to the home of each parent
- Background checks and/or requests for relevant police and court records
- Substance abuse and mental health brief screening or testing, as determined necessary
- Review of relevant documents submitted by the parties
- Review of co-parenting communications submitted to the investigator
What to Expect
Order & Intake
The investigation is ordered by consent, by a granted motion, or by the court. Intake includes informed consent, payment, and initial questionnaires.
Interviews & Home Visits
The investigator meets with each parent and child, observes each household, and assesses the caregiving environment and parent-child relationships.
Collateral Information & Records
Collateral contacts, professionals, and character references are contacted. Screenings, questionnaires, third-party records, and documents are reviewed.
Written Study & Recommendations
A written study with findings and recommendations is completed and provided as the court orders, typically to each party's attorney of record.
A written study, with findings and recommendations, is completed by the investigator. The recommendations made by the social investigator relate to the establishment or revision of provisions in the parties' parenting plan, specific issues identified by the court, or any other identified concern related to the safety or well-being of a child subject to the parenting plan.
Why Pathways Resolution Center
At Pathways Resolution Center, Inc., we conduct Social Investigations with the utmost professionalism and neutrality. Drawing on expertise in clinical social work, family systems, and Florida family law, our process emphasizes a balanced, neutral, objective, transparent, and child-focused approach while ensuring that every parent has the opportunity to be heard and understood.
A social investigation and parenting plan recommendation is an investigative process conducted by a mental health professional serving as a neutral examiner. After completing the investigation, we provide the parties and the court with a social investigation report that includes facts regarding all parties and a parenting plan recommendation designed to assist the court in making decisions that are in the best interest of, and that consider the special needs of, the child involved.
Our dual grounding in clinical practice and family law means recommendations are not only clinically sound but framed to be relevant and actionable within the context of Florida family court proceedings.
What Does a Social Investigation Cost?
Pathways Resolution Center strives to ensure families have a clear understanding of the cost of services at the start of a social investigation. To achieve this, we do not charge by the hour, but instead have a set fee for completion of each social investigation. The set fee for each case may vary, based upon travel necessary for cases in which one or both parents reside outside of the Northeast Florida area.
During the investigation, additional costs may include alcohol and/or drug testing requested by the investigator (at the cost of the party being tested), and fees charged by third parties for records or case consultations. Following completion of the written report, additional fees may apply for requests for the investigator's file, deposition of the social investigator by either party, or required testimony by the social investigator in any court proceeding related to the case.
Estimate the Fee for Your Case
Answer two quick questions for an estimated flat fee based on where each parent lives.
This estimate is not a guarantee of final amount due. Your final cost is determined at the start of the investigation and will be provided to you in a written agreement prior to opening your case.
Has a Social Investigation been ordered in your case?
Contact us today to get started! Whether you are an attorney with a pending referral or a parent responding to a court order, we are here to guide you through the process with clarity, neutrality, and care.