Family & Safety

Parentage The relationship between a parent and a child can be established at a hearing When the parties in a case present their sides of a case to a judge or other officer with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) instead of a judge. It is easier than a parent filing a lawsuit on their own, but it can take a long time. Also, it only deals with parentage and child support Money paid by a parent to help another parent support a minor child or an adult child with a disability .  Parenting time Time that a child spends with a parent. Usually, the child lives mostly with one parent and has regular contact with the other (formerly called visitation). and parental responsibilities Making important decisions for a child (significant decision-making responsibility) and spending time with them (parenting time) will not be decided.