In this day and age, many children are born to parents who are not legally married. When a relationship between two unmarried people ends and there are children involved, both parents still have the obligation to care for their shared child. In most cases, this involves one parent paying the other parent-child support to help provide the child with a safe home, food, clothing, and other necessities.

Unfortunately, child support issues can be complex, and when parents have never been married to each other, things can become more complicated. If you and the other parent of your child are no longer in a relationship, use the following tips to establish child support:

Consult a Family Law Attorney

When it comes to establishing a child support order, the last thing you want to do is make any mistakes that could delay the process or cause problems. Most people have very little experience with the family court system and do not know much about child support laws or what to expect. If you want to establish a new child support order, your best bet is to consult family law lawyers such as Marlene Dancer Adams. An experienced family law attorney will understand all of the legalities related to child support and will be able to guide you through the process and help ensure that your child gets the child support that he or she deserves.

Have Papers Served

To start the child support order process, your attorney will file papers with the family court. After your documentation is reviewed, you will need to make arrangements to have your child's other parent served. When your child's other parent is served, he or she will receive notice that you have a case in court petitioning for child support. The documentation will also include a summons letting your child's other parent needs to appear in court. If he or she does not appear in court on the appointed date, the judge may still make a decision regarding child support.

Establish Paternity

In some cases, paternity may need to be established before a child support order can be granted. This may happen if the mother does not list the child's father's name on the birth certificate or if the presumed father denies paternity. If you are in this situation, you do not have to rely on your child's other parent to voluntarily take a paternity test-- the court can order him to do so in order to establish paternity.

Receive a Temporary Support Order

Establishing a child support order can take some time, but it is possible to get a temporary support order. When a temporary support order is in place, your child's other parent will be ordered to pay a set amount. When all of the paperwork in your child support claim is reviewed by the court, the temporary support order will be modified into a permanent child support order.