Families & Children

Custody & Parenting Time (Visitation)
Understand the law in custody and parenting time (visitation) cases, how to make agreements between the parents, ask for a custody order, respond to a request, and change or enforce an order. Read information on custody mediation and how domestic violence affects children and custody rights.

Child Support
Learn how child support works, how to make agreements between the parents, ask for a child support order, respond to a request, and change, pay or collect a child support court order. Find where to get help, which court forms you need and read answers to frequently asked questions.

Parentage/Paternity
This section explains how parentage (paternity) works, how to establish parentage for a child, and how to dispute parentage if you believe you are not a child’s parent. It includes forms and answers to frequently asked questions.

Child Abuse & Neglect
Review basic information on child abuse and neglect and the juvenile dependency court system that handles those cases as well as guardianship cases in juvenile court and information on de facto parents.

Guardianship 
Learn about guardianship, which is when someone who is not a parent of a child gets custody of that child, with explanations of your legal options, how to ask for a guardianship, and how to end a guardianship.

Juvenile Delinquency 
Basic information about children being arrested and the juvenile delinquency system that handles those cases.

Adoption 
How to adopt a child or a stepchild with details about the different types of adoptions, and information about how to file for an adoption.

Emancipation
If you are under 18 and want to become emancipated, this section will explain what requirements you must meet. It also has a how-to guide for you to fill out and file the papers in court, and the forms you will need for your case. 

Families Change
This is an online guide for families going through separation and divorce. With three versions – one for parents, one for children, and another for teens and pre-teens – it complements the legal information found here.