Boulder County Child Support Enforcement Unit
Establishing Paternity
It is necessary to have paternity determined before establishing a
child support order. If a child or children are not born as a
result of a legal marriage, it may be necessary to establish paternity
in a legal proceeding.
Some important reasons to establish paternity include:
-
Providing financial support
- Children benefit from financial support from both parents.
-
Providing medical support
– Children benefit from being covered by the most comprehensive
plan available provided by either parent.
-
Establishing Survivor’s Benefits
- There are a number of potential benefits that may be available to
a child in the event of a father's death. These may include
Social Security, Life Insurance and Veteran's Benefits.
-
Citizenship - Parents provide the child with citizenship and/or nationality. If
one parent was not born in the United States, his/her place of
origin may provide important rights to the child.
-
Rights - When paternity is established, the father has the
same rights as a father of a child in a marriage. These include the
right to address custody and visitation issues with
the court, and to give other input into decisions regarding the
child.
The CSEU will help establish paternity in usually one of the two following
ways:
-
Acknowledgment of paternity
- The easiest way to establish paternity is if the man named as the father of the child agrees to
sign an official form stating he is the father. At the time of birth,
the father can sign the form; acknowledging paternity may make court
involvement unnecessary.
-
Legal establishment of paternity
- If the man named by the mother as being the child’s father denies the
relationship, or if the mother is unsure who the father is, the
county can conduct genetic testing. The court can then review the
genetic test results and decide on an appropriate child support order.
Additional information on paternity establishment may be obtained at the
State of
Colorado Child Support website.
(Child Support Home)
|
