| Putative Father's Standing to Seek Custody of his Child |
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| Unlike the formerly married father whose marital status guarantees his standing to seek custody of his children, the putative father must first produce convincing evidence of his parenthood before a court considers his suit to seek custody of his child. Generally, a paternity or other type of judicial proceeding must precede or be consolidated with the putative father's custody suit.More... |
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| Child Support Enforcement and Paternity Issues |
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| At common law, a putative or alleged father of a child produced out of wedlock had no duty to support that child. However, the statutory law changed the common law and required both parents to support the child.
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| Adoption and Safe Families Act - Termination of Parental Rights |
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| The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) requires a state to file a petition to terminate a parent's parental rights to a child if:More... |
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| The Family Support Act of 1988 |
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| The Family Support Act of 1988 amended the guidelines provisions of the Child Support Enforcement Amendments of l984 by requiring that a state's support guidelines operate as a ''rebuttable presumption'' of the correct support amount in any judicial or administrative proceeding for the award of child support. More... |
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| Special Visitation Problems |
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| In a few states, statutes allow the court to consider in the initial custody decision which parent is likely to allow frequent and continuing contact with the other parent. Where the interference has been persistent or has involved hiding the child, the court may even transfer custody from one parent to the other. As a general rule, however, the court will not settle a dispute over visitation by transferring custody because modification may end up disrupting the child's stable home environment. More... |
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