Child and Family Investigator
A Child and Family Investigator, or CFI, is a court-appointed professional, generally an attorney or a mental health professional, who is appointed to provide the Court with a summary
of information about and recommendation in regards to child-related issues in the case. All CFIs have received judicially approved specified training in parent-child relationships, child psychology, the signs and impacts of domestic violence, and Colorado laws relating to these items.
A CFI’s report to the Court is designed to be brief and focused. Parents are given the opportunity to provide input regarding issues that affect the child(ren), and the children are interviewed. A CFI is not a decision-maker, and does not issue orders; a CFI makes recommendations in the case, which a Court may or may not adopt.
The cost of having a CFI is set by statute, currently $3250, which cost is generally shared between the parents and cannot be exceeded without order of the Court. A CFI may not make any mental health evaluations, but may recommend to the Court that such evaluations occur.
Ms. Hunter has received the mandatory 40-hours of CFI training, as well as over 50 hours of additional training relevant to the issues that arise regarding children in domestic relations cases. Her skills as a CFI include her family law practice of over 15 years with dozens of cases that included a CFI. Ms. Hunter is available for appointment for cases in most of the counties on the Western Slope, as well as Larimer and Weld. She accepts cases where one or both parties have been determined by the Court to be indigent so that the state will pay the CFI fees.