Child Support Orders

OBTAINING A CHILD SUPPORT ORDER:

There are four ways to obtain an order for child support.

  1.  If we are assisting you in a divorce proceeding, we can ask the court to make an order for child support.  
  2.  If you have already been divorced, but the court did not order child support, we can file a petition with the court seeking    an order for child support under most circumstances. 
  3.  If you were never married to the other parent, we can also petition the court for a child support order.  
  4.  A child support order may be made part of a Civil Protection Order in domestic violence cases. 

Whether or not we can assist you will depend on several factors. You will need to visit our office and meet with one of our paralegals who will gather the necessary information for us to make that determination.


ENFORCEMENT OF CHILD SUPPORT ORDERS: 

If the Court has entered a child support order in the past and the non-custodial parent does not comply with the child support order, then the custodial parent can seek enforcement of the child support order.

  1.   The custodial parent can complete a Self-Help Form from the Family, Drug and Alcohol Division of High Court: Application for Order to Show Cause Re: Contempt For Failure to Pay Child Support; and Order. The Pro Se litigant can attach any  prior Court Child Support Order. There is no court filing fee.
  2. If qualified for ASLA services, custodial parent can obtain free ASLA legal representation in filing in High Court a Motion to Enforce Divorce Support Order and to collect child support arrearages. ASLA only files to enforce a child support order when the violating parent is not low income. 

Note:  Child support payments by non-custodial parent are normally made to the High Court so there is an accurate and impartial accounting of payments.

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