FAMILY SUPPORT COMPLAINTS

(When Court Orders Aren't Followed: Enforce Your Rights)

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Often, the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) brings a Family Support action when a parent applies for public benefits.  DCSS will file a Complaint Regarding Parental Obligations in the Family Court and serve it on the other parent, seeking an award of child support payable to the County.  These cases go to a special courtroom for decisions, and that court only hears DCSS cases.

 

The court will determine support in the same way that the other courts do, but  will not make any orders other than support.  The case will be assigned a case number (containing the letters “FS” instead of “FL”) so either parent can use that case to ask for custody or visitation orders.  If they do, the case will be sent to one of the regular family law courts for those issues, then back to the DCSS court if the support needs changing.

 

Help-U-File fully supports actions for custody and for support orders and can keep your case moving down the right path.

 

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ORDERS AND RESPONSE 

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Domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs) are designed to protect people from immediate harm. Because of the sensitive nature of these cases and the design of the forms, Help-U-File does not prepare DVRO requests.

However, we can assist with related issues, including:

• Ensuring other courts recognize your DVRO

• Preparing custody or visitation paperwork that considers an existing DVRO

• Helping you understand how a DVRO affects mediation or future hearings

Once safety issues are addressed, we can help with the family law steps that come afterward.

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CUSTODY AND VISITATION PARENTAGE

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In a very few cases, parties who have no question of parentage need custody and/or support orders.  This might be an alternative to a UPA action if there is a DCSS case in another county, or if the parties divorced in another state and later moved here, or in several other situations. One of Help-U-File’s attorneys can evaluate this as part of the possible avenues to getting the answers you need.