Single Mom’s Legal Rights In Florida
Single moms have some legal rights related to their children in Florida. When a single mom requires legal assistance with child support, custody, paternity, or visitation, hiring a family law attorney in Florida will be helpful as she can get advice on legal matters.
What Are Single Mom’s Legal Rights In Florida?
Both fathers and mothers in Florida have specific legal rights when it comes to their children. Moms have rights to their kids whether or not they are married to the child’s biological father. There may be times when problems can arise regarding child custody compatibility, support, and visitation which needs to be resolved legally in Florida courts. One main reason why single moms can need legal help is because of spousal abuse or child abuse. Such situations are quite sensitive and must be handled with the greatest level of care especially if the mother and her kids are in imminent danger from the father or the abuser. Whether the father is a husband or boyfriend there are legal actions that can be taken to protect both mother and children.
Single Mom’s Right In Domestic Violence
When single mothers, their children, or other members of their home are being threatened with domestic violence by their partner or husband then they must contact a law firm immediately. As a single mom, you have the right to take legal action against your abuser to protect your children’s and family’s safety through restraining orders and if necessary the Florida court will limit ordered supervised visitation, time-sharing, or even termination of parental rights of the abusive spouse in extreme circumstances. A single mother’s rights including child custody and paternity rights are deeply connected with other law areas. This establishing paternity may cause a detrimental effect on families, their estates, divorce settlements, child custody, child support, visitation, and spousal support. Navigating through these issues and complex laws as a solo mother will be challenging for you. You need to make sure your law attorney can help you to protect your rights and provide full-service representation in the present and the future.
Single Mother’s Rights To Child Support In Florida
Single mothers’ rights to child support in Florida depend on whether she is a stay-at-home mom, working moms, or self-employed moms. Different elements are taken into consideration in child support and child custody cases. Florida adheres to child support calculations and guidelines and is based on honest reporting of income by both parents. Single mothers who want to know how the child support laws of Florida can apply to their specific situation and how the Florida court will review their case can take the help of an experienced attorney. This will help you to learn your rights as a single mom as well as your child’s best interests. A biological father without legal paternity has no obligation to cover child support. If you are an unmarried single mom of a minor child then you can collect child support costs from the father without legally establishing fatherhood.
Visitation, Custody, And Time-Sharing Rights In Florida
You might have heard before that mothers get custody of their children every time. However, this is not always true. Florida courts have been in favor of shared decision-making or shared parenting historically. With equal time sharing and shared decision making both parents can take better care of the child’s needs. In this way, they can get involved in their child’s lives in a meaningful way. Florida would require both mothers and fathers to maintain a co-parenting relationship for the best interest of the child. As a single mom, you have the right to establish paternity on behalf of your child. You can file a paternity action against your spouse or biological father and the will to establish biological and legal paternity through DNA blood testing. Fighting for paternity is the first and foremost step to getting child support and contributing towards the care and expenses of your children. Unmarried single mothers must consider that by establishing paternity they have to share the parental responsibility with the biological father and the father can also take legal action to exercise his rights as the father of the child.
Married Versus Unmarried Maternal Rights In Florida
Going through a separation or divorce is never easy. Acquiring your parental rights and getting child custody can even be more difficult for single moms in Florida. Even though shared parental responsibility between mothers and fathers is not an ideal situation in every case there are a lot of family law attorneys who are experienced and specialized in helping single moms navigate their rights as a mother. Florida law states that whether single or married, mothers have the sole legal rights over their minor child since birth. This may change if the biological father wishes to perform a paternity test and determine his rights over his child. However, in Florida, the mother is given legal custody of the child automatically.
When married couples decide to divorce the legal parent of the child is the one who determines the custody. If both parties do not come to an agreement they need to go to Florida court so that the judge can decide their case. It is important to keep the best interest of the child in mind while making these decisions. Florida courts will then decide the type of custody that will be best for the legal child.
Conclusion
When raising a child alone single moms have certain rights over child support and child custody. If unmarried single moms wish to obtain child support from the biological father then she has to establish paternity legally. Even though the automatic assumption goes that single moms get the natural custody of the child as she gave birth, however, the father can also get an automatic right to his child if he is not married to the mother. Once paternity is established legally then the father can exercise his legal rights on the child such as visitation and child custody. Having an experienced attorney by your side will help single moms to navigate the Florida legal system.
