Child-Family Investigations

NIC’s Child and Family Investigators (CFI) provide services within the scope of the court order appointing NIC to your case. As CFI’s, we act as independent investigators, by collecting information, writing a report and making recommendations to the judge or magistrate about the best interests of each child. We also make suggestions to the parents regarding the children, and assist in improving family communications when and where possible. We are not lawyers, legal advisors, or mediators.

NIC’s Child and Family Investigators are extensively involved in the fields of special interviewing/evaluation methods, conflict resolution, mediation, structural family development, child development, effective parenting, child protection/youth services, adult and adolescent education, adolescent and adult mental health, adolescent and adult substance abuse treatment, and therapeutic modalities of treatment.

Parents should feel free to provide us with information that they feel is pertinent to their case. We will want to visit each parent’s respective home and observe you with your child or children. We will consult with other experts in the field. We may also consult with family, parents’ attorneys and references. The traditional rules of confidentiality in psychotherapy do not apply. This allows for the opportunity to fully evaluate and assess the whole situation and family dynamic. Most attorneys understand that we need factual, accurate information and they know that it is not in the best interests of their clients to lobby or try to persuade us in their clients favor. We are an impartial entity, whose main concern is the well-being, safety and security of the child and/or children.

Most parents love their children and do their best to care for them. However, relational issues, discord, and conflict often cloud parents’ decision-making and judgment to the extent of causing harm to their children. Part of our job as CFI’s is to help develop plans and make recommendations to the Courts to address these harmful situations. However, if there have been credible allegations or disclosures of physical or sexual abuse and/or neglect, we are mandated to make reports to law enforcement and the department of human services.

We want our clients to understand that we will make every effort to handle all situations with care and adequate concern. We will always utilize our best judgment and the full extent of our skills to evaluate, assess and disseminate information to all the parties involved in the case. Your file and our final report are confidential to the appointing judge/magistrate, the parties to the case, and their attorneys. We will reveal our file and report only if ordered by the court. We have no private communications with the court. When the court closes your case, our appointment is terminated.

NIC’s fee arraignments are fair and we make every attempt to work with our clients around financial situations. We have two different fee structures. Additionally, we take state pay cases and we also provide pro bono CFI services on an occasional basis. NIC’s fees for service structure are as follows:

Fee Schedule One

• A retainer of $1,500.00 up front prior to the start of any investigation. This retainer will be drawn down as CFI charges accrue. In this fee structure we charge $100.00 per hour. This includes direct contact, telephone contact, time spent reviewing documents, e-mail correspondence, professional consultation, testing and scoring tests (when applicable), travel to and from court or other community setting, and court preparation and testimony. You will receive statements detailing charges and payments.

Fee Schedule Two

• A retainer of $2000.00 up front prior to the start of any investigation. This retainer will be drawn down as CFI charges accrue. In this fee structure we charge $150.00 per hour. This includes direct contact, telephone contact, time spent reviewing documents, e-mail correspondence, professional consultation, testing and scoring tests, travel to and from court or other community setting, and court preparation and testimony. You will receive statements detailing charges and payments.

NIC’s fee structures are based on income levels. The first fee structure is based on combined income levels of $40,000.00 and below and the second fee structure is based on combined income levels of $41,000.00 and above. We require that the retainer be increased in $500.00 increments when it gets drawn down to $500.00. We charge interest at a rate of 1.5% on unpaid balances due beyond 60 days. Please be aware that we will not proceed with services if money is owed to the account. Also, please be aware that if you do not pay outstanding fees, we will request a judgment, file a contempt citation or make use of a collection agency to recover our fees. At the end of our appointment, if there are remaining fees, we will return those fees to you.

Finally, if we are required to appear in court our time is billed in five-hour increments and according to your respective fee schedule. Thus, for Fee Schedule One, we will require an upfront payment of $500.00 seven days in advance of the hearing. For Fee Schedule Two, we will require an upfront payment of $750.00 seven days in advance of the hearing. Court time means travel to and from court and time waiting at the courthouse for the hearing to begin. You will be responsible for three hours of time if your court appearance is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.