The Role of a Child Custody Investigator

By Brandon Brewer

As custody cases become more and more competitive, parents have begun seeking every available opportunity to gain an advantage on their competition. This can involve multiple strategies, with some being more secretive than others. Hiring a child custody investigator is one way to build evidence against the other parent without them knowing. Since custody hearings take a number of different factors into consideration before making a decision, an investigator can influence the perception of the court across many levels.

Contrary to popular belief, child custody investigators are not just private detectives hired by those who can afford their exorbitant fees. The court system also employs investigators to provide them with a better insight into the daily routines and behaviors of both parents. Since the judge is unlikely to witness either parent's activities outside of the court room, it has become more common for the court to assign an independent party to monitor these things. For that reason it is important for anyone facing a custody hearing to become aware of the role that an investigator plays, and how it may affect the outcome of the case.

The goal of an investigator is to measure the tendencies of each parent while interacting with their child. They look for how the parent relates with the child and what activities they participate in while together. Ideally, the parent would offer enriching activities that promote the social and educational growth of their youngster. It is also observed whether or not the child enjoys these activities. Beyond this, the custody investigator is also looking for any signs of physical or mental abuse that may be occurring. Thus, they are making sure the child has a safe and healthy environment in which they can thrive.

Because a child custody investigator is hired to provide evidence to the court system, their work is typically secretive and very thorough. They may utilize many of the same tools and tactics that are commonly found in detective work. Video surveillance, phone tapping, and constant observation are just some of the ways they collect evidence. In a perfect world, their strategies are unbiased and used only to paint an accurate picture of the parental interaction levels. However, in cases where the investigator is hired privately, there is more pressure on them to produce incriminating evidence against the other party. This can be a tough obstacle for the opposition to face, making it important that they identify when they are being watched.

Custody battles have continued to grow more aggressive over recent years. Not only have parents become more willing to experiment with unorthodox tactics to build their cases, but the court system has also grown more stringent in their approach. This combination has left parents on both sides very little room for error. Because of the pressure surrounding these cases, the use of child custody investigators has risen considerably. At one time they were only used by those who afford to hire them privately, but now the courts are beginning to utilize their services as well. Since the evidence provided by them is so heavily weighted by the custody judge, it is vital for parents to recognize the power that an investigator can have over their case.

The most successful custody appeals happen when the parent takes full control of the process. You should never rely solely on a lawyer to win your case for you. Visit ObtainCustody.com for more resources on how to win child custody.

Fantasy Role Playing Builds--The Guardian

By Dustin Schwerman

What separates a guardian from other defensive builds is that it isn't really a defender at all, at least not in the sense that it has significant ability to avoid or absorb attacks. Rather, a guardian is a character designed to make attacking their charges too great a threat. A typical fantasy guardian would be a pikeman or town guard. Although their defenses may not be exceptional (they may even be lacking!) they use reach to make their position too dangerous to attack.

Not all game systems will necessarily support guardian builds. To make an effective guardian, you need abilities that allow you to attack in response to enemy actions. Some guardians, such as the aforementioned pikemen, might use reach to strike foes as they close. Other guardians are more close-range warriors, relying on abilities that allow them to counter-attack their enemies.
Magically inclined guardians may be able to deflect enemy attacks back upon them, backlash the damage they sustain, or even absorb enemy attacks to empower their own actions.

A guardian build rarely stands alone, unless it has abilities to redirect the attacks of enemies.
Otherwise, a guardian will need to have an offensive presence capable of dropping enemies before they get to make their attacks, or potent defenses that will negate enemy assaults and allow the character to reciprocate. The guardian build is paired well with either the protector or crusher builds; the former creates a foe that is not only difficult to attack but also likely to strike back, making such assaults a foolish proposition. The latter may not counter as many attacks, but enemies know that to strike at such an opponent is to invite its powerful offenses.

Just as the method of defense can vary between guardians, so too will you want to decide how to use your abilities. Some guardians, particularly those with a protector bent, specialize in drawing attacks onto themselves by using their guardian abilities to strike back when foes attack their allies. More offensively-minded guardians are just the opposite; they use the threat of a reciprocated offense to keep foes off of themselves, or drop enemies as they approach, freeing them up to focus on their offensive duties.

Since the goal of a guardian is defense through superior offense, abilities that can weaken or neutralize opponents quickly are much favored. The combination of a guardian and neutralizer build can be very effective, allowing the character to significantly debilitate or even dispatch enemies who assault its position. This provides a greater threat, as a neutralizer's powers can leave an enemy too weak to complete its attack even if it doesn't fall.

The guardian is a more difficult build to play than a tank or protector, but can be highly effective when used well. Your goal is to make the enemy not want to attack by turning it against itself. Bear in mind, though, that when battle is joined in an RPG, the enemies will be attacking. Do not assume that the threat alone will be sufficient; focus on obtaining strong abilities that allow you to drop those enemies who test your resolve, or potent defenses that give you the edge in a battle of attrition.

Copyright © 2007 Dustin Schwerman.

Dustin Schwerman is the primary web designer and an article writer at Truly Unique--Affordable Custom Website Design. In his spare time, he enjoys fantasy role playing games, favoring those that offer extensive options for character customization.