When it comes to children’s needs, both married or divorced parents need to commit to providing them to them. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some are not responsible enough to commit to their legal duties to maintain the well-being of their children. If you are somehow stuck in this situation, it is best to work with the child maintenance singapore lawyer. But before that, here’s everything that you need to know about child maintenance.
All About Child Maintenance
All parents are required to support their children until they are already self-supporting. For divorced or separated parents, the court will determine just how much a child would need until they become independent. If maintenance is not paid, the court will have the power to pull it from the maintenance payers’ salary, from their property, and worse, can issue a warrant of arrest.
Child Maintenance: Whose Responsibility is It?
Whether married or not, parents living together or not, or might be separated or divorced, have the responsibility to support their biological or adopted children’s financial needs. The biological grandparents may also need to should the child maintenance if the parent will not pay.
Paying Child Maintenance
The “duty to maintain” or, in other words, “the duty to support” is the parents’ responsibility. It will ensure that children will have enough access to necessities like food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and schooling. Parents usually hand over maintenance to the primary caregiver of these children. They can also pay child maintenance through the magistrates’ office or at any designated government office. When the child is 18-years-old yet still not self-supporting, parents can directly send the maintenance money to their bank account.
The Role of Child Maintenance Lawyer
Not knowing your child’s other parent’s whereabouts will not be accessible when dealing with your childrens’ maintenance needs. And this is where a family lawyer specializing in child maintenance can help you. The legal expert can help you apply for child maintenance. Also, the lawyer would know how to negotiate for the benefit of your children.
When is Maintenance Order Enforced?
As mentioned, not all parents will be able to have enough to take care of child maintenance. That is why it may come to a point where maintenance order is enforced. This will only happen if the parent who is required to pay the maintenance does not do it. In this case, the child-caregiver can submit a formal complaint. Ensure that you bring records of non-payment or payment to know how much is owed. The court can also help the payment get the child maintenance directly from the other payments’ employer.
Now that you know how important working with a child maintenance lawyer is, it is time to choose one locally. There are plenty of family lawyers in Singapore, so ensure that you pick the best who has the knowledge and experience in dealing with cases similar to yours. Doing so can assure you that you are securing financial stability for your children.