Have you been providing financial support for a child, but suspect it might not be your responsibility because the child could be someone else’s? Or, have you been served with a summons and complaint for a paternity action and don’t know how to respond?
What to do in Florida if you suspect you’re NOT the father
Florida divorce professionals Part 2: Guardians ad litem
In our last post, we talked about the role of the social investigator in a Florida divorce trial. The judge may order that a social investigation be conducted to help him or her make more informed decisions about custody and parenting time. The social investigation focuses on each parent’s strengths and weaknesses vis-à-vis parenting, as well as on each of their homes, in light of what would be in the child’s best interests. The judge is free to use the investigator’s study and recommendations as evidence.
Florida divorce professionals part 1: Social investigators
Under Florida law, a judge can order a social investigation and study when the parents cannot agree to an appropriate parenting plan themselves and the court would like to see evidence about each parent to make a better-informed custody decision.
Part 2: Reunification therapy after parental alienation
After a parent has been wrongfully alienated by the other parent of their children, reunification therapy is the professional approach often used to try to repair the situation and support the mental health of all involved. As we wrote in Part 1 of this series, parental alienation may occur when a parent tries to alienate a child from the other parent without a reasonable basis for doing so.
Part 1: What is parental alienation?
At our law firm, we see parents in divorce who have developed relationships of extremely high conflict. It is impossible for parental conflict not to affect children, but harm to kids can be minimized and addressed through therapy and professional involvement with the family. After all, the best interests of children are the primary focus of Florida child custody and divorce law.
