1. Decide who pays child support
Question & Answer
What is child support?The law says that parents are responsible for financially supporting their dependent children. A parent can be a birth parent, a non-birth parent, an adoptive parent, and sometimes a step-parent.
The parent who pays child support is called the parent.
Parents must support their children even if they:
- do not live with the children
- do not see the children
- are not to the other parent
- did not live with the other parent
- did not have an ongoing relationship with the other parent
- have other children from a new relationship
Child support is separate from parenting time
The right to and the right to are 2 different things. They are both rights of the child. A parent cannot be denied parenting time with their child because they do not pay child support. And a parent who does not have parenting time may still have to pay child support. Parenting time used to be called .
You can refuse to allow parenting time in specific situations, such as if you're afraid for your child's safety. You may have to call child protection services if you believe your child is being abused by your partner or someone in their home. If you're in this situation, get help right away.
You can talk to a lawyer who can tell you what to do to keep your children safe. If you can't afford to hire a lawyer, you may be able to find legal help in other places.
