(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) âEligible providerâ means the Administrative Office of the Courts or an educational institution, professional association, professional continuing education group, a group connected to the courts, or a public or private group that has been authorized by the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide domestic violence training. (2) âEvaluatorâ means a supervising or associate counselor described in Section 1815, a mediator described in Section 3164, a court-connected or private child custody evaluator described in Section 3110.5, or a court-appointed investigator or evaluator as described in Section 3110 or Section 730 of the Evidence Code. (b) An evaluator shall participate in a program of continuing instruction in domestic violence, including child abuse, as may be arranged and provided to that evaluator. This training may utilize domestic violence training programs conducted by nonprofit community organizations with an expertise in domestic violence issues. (c) Areas of basic instruction shall include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) The effects of domestic violence on children. (2) The nature and extent of domestic violence. (3) The social and family dynamics of domestic violence. (4) Techniques for identifying and assisting families affected by domestic violence. (5) Interviewing, documentation of, and appropriate recommendations for, families affected by domestic violence. (6) The legal rights of, and remedies available to, victims. (7) Availability of community and legal domestic violence resources. (d) An evaluator shall also complete 16 hours of advanced training within a 12-month period. Four hours of that advanced training shall include community resource networking intended to acquaint the evaluator with domestic violence resources in the geographical communities where the family being evaluated may reside. Twelve hours of instruction, as approved by the Administrative Office of the Courts, shall include all of the following: (1) The appropriate structuring of the child custody evaluation process, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (A) Maximizing safety for clients, evaluators, and court personnel. (B) Maintaining objectivity. (C) Providing and gathering balanced information from the parties and controlling for bias. (D) Providing separate sessions at separate times as described in Section 3113. (E) Considering the impact of the evaluation report and recommendations with particular attention to the dynamics of domestic violence. (2) The relevant sections of local, state, and federal laws, rules, or regulations. (3) The range, availability, and applicability of domestic violence resources available to victims, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (A) Domestic violence shelter-based programs. (B) Counseling, including drug and alcohol counseling. (C) Legal assistance. (D) Job training. (E) Parenting classes. (F) Resources for a victim who is an immigrant. (4) The range, availability, and applicability of domestic violence intervention available to perpetrators, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (A) Certified treatment programs described in subdivision (c) of Section 1203.097 of the Penal Code. (B) Drug and alcohol counseling. (C) Legal assistance. (D) Job training. (E) Parenting classes. (5) The unique issues in a family and psychological assessment in a domestic violence case, including all of the following: (A) The effects of exposure to domestic violence and psychological trauma on children, the relationship between child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, and domestic violence, the differential family dynamics related to parent-child attachments in families with domestic violence, intergenerational transmission of familial violence, and manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorders in children. (B) The nature and extent of domestic violence, and the relationship of
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