Voice of the Child Assessments
Professional child-centred assessments that help understand and communicate a child’s experience, emotional needs and adjustment during family change, parenting discussions and mediation-related processes.
The focus is not that the child chooses.
The purpose is to help the child’s experience, emotional needs and adjustment be understood and professionally communicated in a sensitive, responsible and child-centred way.
Helping adults make better decisions by understanding the child’s experience.
In family matters, adults often need clarity before they can make decisions that truly support the child. Voice of the Child assessments help bring structured insight into the child’s emotional world, needs and adjustment.
Children are heard
The process creates space for the child’s experience to be understood in a sensitive, age-appropriate and professional way.
Parents are guided
Insight into the child’s emotional needs and adjustment can help parents understand what may support the child better.
Professionals are supported
The assessment can support parenting plans, mediation processes and child-centred decision-making in family matters.
Clarity is restored
The child’s experience is carefully explored and responsibly communicated so that the next step can be clearer.
What is a Voice of the Child assessment?
A Voice of the Child assessment is a structured, professional assessment process that helps give insight into a child’s experience, emotional needs and adjustment within a family context.
It is especially useful where adults need to better understand how a child is experiencing family change, parenting arrangements, conflict, separation or mediation-related decisions.
What this service supports
This service can support the development or review of parenting plans, mediation processes and child-centred decision-making where the child’s emotional experience needs to be understood clearly.
It can also assist professional referrers who need structured insight into the child’s adjustment, needs and emotional world.
What the assessment is not
The focus is not to ask the child to choose between parents or to carry responsibility for adult decisions.
The focus is to understand the child’s lived experience and communicate it in a professional, sensitive and responsible way.
Why it matters
When a child’s emotional world is better understood, parents and professionals are better equipped to make decisions that consider the child’s needs, adjustment, emotional safety and best interests.
This can bring greater clarity to family processes and help adults respond to the child with more care and understanding.
This service may be appropriate when the child’s experience is unclear.
A Voice of the Child assessment can be considered where adults need professional insight into how a child is experiencing family change, conflict or parenting arrangements.
A clear, professional process from referral to feedback.
The exact process may differ depending on the mandate, referral context and family situation, but the pathway should remain clear and professionally managed.
Referral or enquiry
A parent, professional or referral partner contacts Ligpunt.
Mandate clarified
The purpose, context and expectations of the assessment are clarified.
Assessment process
The child’s experience and relevant context are explored sensitively.
Report or feedback
Professional feedback or reporting is provided where appropriate.
Next steps
Further support or referral guidance may be recommended where needed.
Start with a confidential enquiry.
Complete the form and Estie will receive the enquiry at estie@ligpuntpractice.co.za. Keep the first message brief and avoid sharing unnecessary sensitive details before the process has been clarified.
Practice: Ligpunt Child and Family Practice
Location: Kimberley, Northern Cape