Whether you're divorced or an unmarried mother, your child has the right to receive financial assistance from the other parent. If you tried to seek financial help from the other parent but are not getting results, it might be time to hire a lawyer who specializes in family law to assist you in getting the support your child needs. You can click here to get additional information on what happens when you establish a child support order for the other parent.
Each state handles child support cases differently but if you're interested in establishing a child support order you'll need to contact your state's department of social services and pay a fee. You will need to supply the caseworker with the other parent's information such as his phone number, social security number, address, place of employment and anything else that might help the department locate the other parent. Once the other parent has been found, he is notified of the situation and paternity will be established. After this step, there will be a court hearing and this is where the amount of child support is determined for the non-custodial parent to pay you on behalf of the child.
After the hearing, you will start receiving payments. The payments will come from the other parent's check and deposited to your checking account or through a special debit card that is designed just for receiving child support payments. You'll need to keep track of all payments during the year so that if the other parent is late on payments or stops paying child support, you can report this to the authorities. If the non-custodial parent does not make payments, he would be held in contempt of court and he faces penalties such as withholding of his tax refunds, jail time and loss of his licenses.
In conclusion, you have family law on your side when you're trying to obtain child support for your child. Take advantage of what the court system offers and improve your child's financial future.