Risk assessment is the evaluation of safety concerns such as domestic violence, child abuse, substance use, abduction risk, mental health instability, or self-harm that may affect parenting safety. In contested parenting cases risk assessments help the court understand what protective measures are needed.

Risk assessments in family court are conducted by mental health professionals, domestic violence specialists, and in some cases by the CAA.

Under the Alec and Lydia Act the safety of the child and the victim is the highest priority when domestic violence is present. A risk assessment that identifies ongoing domestic violence risk triggers the mandatory presumption and the protective framework established in the new law.