When parents can't reach a reasonable agreement on child custody, a court will sometimes decide to use a custody evaluation. The judge will consider the best interests of the child and consider factors such as:
The potential for the child to be abused - primary consideration
The relationship between the child and each parent
Which parent has provided most of the care for the child
Each parent's willingness and capacity to provide food, medical care, clothing, and other needs
Each parent's desire to encourage a close relationship between the child and the other parent
The physical and mental health of each parent
Each parent's moral fitness in terms of child welfare
The child's wishes, if they are old enough
Louisiana always places the best interest of the child first. Ideally, parents reach a custody agreement without court intervention, but this isn't always possible. To determine what is in a child's best interest, the court will consider everything including emotional ties between the child and each parent as well as the child's home, school, and community to make divorce as easy as possible on the child.