A hundred years from now it will not ESTABLISHING matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the PATERNITY kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.
- Kathy Davis
WHAT ARE THE RIGHTS OF THE Here’s What You Need to Know LEGAL FATHER? The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services does not discriminate on Once paternity is established, the the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, father has the legal right to have a religion, age or disability in employment or relationship with his child. The child the provision of services. support office does not set or monitor custody or visitation orders. Parents interested in securing orders pertaining to visitation and custody should contact a private attorney.
WHAT ARE THE Moore County Child Support RESPONSIBILITIES OF A LEGAL FATHER? Mail Address: PO Drawer 370 Carthage, NC 28327 Both parents are required to support their child. Child support is designed Physical Address: 202 S. Ray St, to meet the needs of children while Carthage, NC being fair to both parents. The amount of the child support order is 910-947-2118 based on the income of both parents. Moore County Child Support Enforcement Child support helps to pay for things that all kids need, like food, clothing, “Making a difference in the lives of the housing, transportation, school children we serve” supplies and more. Regular child support payments often make the www.ncchildsupport.com difference between financial security and living in poverty. cases, testing is done using cells from the HOW DOES THE COURT PROCESS ESTABLISHING inside of the mouth which are collected with WORK? a cotton swab called a “buccal swab”. First, the alleged father receives a Civil PATERNITY Summons and Complaint to Establish WHEN DOES A MAN BECOME A LEGAL Paternity and Child Support. He can respond FATHER? WHAT IS PATERNITY ESTABLISHMENT? to the Summons and Complaint either by: Marriage – If the parents are married Paternity means fatherhood. Establishing at the time the child is born, legal Filing an answer with the Clerk of paternity is the process for determining the paternity is established. Court; legal father of the child.
WHY SHOULD I ESTABLISH Voluntary Affidavit of Parentage– Contacting the child support office to PATERNITY? Unmarried parents may sign a form request genetic testing; agreeing that they are the child’s Your child receives the benefits that come parents. This may be done in the Contacting the child support office to from having two legal parents, including: hospital when the child is born. This voluntarily acknowledge paternity by form is notarized. Before signing a signing an affidavit and voluntary The father’s name on the child’s birth support agreement; certificate legal document establishing paternity, the parents may want to have genetic testing to confirm that they are the Getting an attorney who will help him Knowledge of medical histories of respond to the Petition; or both parents child’s parents. Appearing at the hearing. Social Security benefits Court Order – Paternity may be determined by a court. For alleged Inheritance rights fathers, it is very important to actively participate and cooperate in this A relationship with both parents process. If the alleged father does not respond or appear in court when a WHAT IS GENETIC TESTING? hearing is set, the court can enter a Genetic testing is the process of comparing default order for paternity and the genetic code of a child, the child’s mother support. The court accepts the and the alleged father to determine if the information contained in the man can be excluded from being the father Complaint to Establish Paternity and of the child. Genetic DNA tests are used to Support as true and issues an order determine the probability that a man is the to pay child support and provide health care coverage based on that biological father of the child. Either parent may request testing, or the court may order. information.
The process for securing genetic material (DNA) to test is really quite simple. In most