Mary Carollo: Out of State Child Support

If you are a child’s custodial parent, you may have a number of concerns, from parenting plans to financial matters such as covering the cost of medical care or school supplies. As a result, it is essential to address any legal issues pertaining to your child properly, especially those involving child support. If you live in Salt Lake City, you should familiarize yourself with the laws in Utah to make sure you receive support that you are entitled to. A good child support lawyer will help you along your way.

CAN I RECEIVE CHILD SUPPORT FROM AN OUT-OF-STATE PARENT?

According to the Office of Recovery Services’ site, you are able to collect child support from an out-of-state parent under Utah law. If the other parent of your child lives elsewhere, the ORS will ask the state they reside in to collect child support or give the employer of the parent a notice regarding the withholding of his or her wages. Although the laws are different from one state to the next, federal laws concerning child support apply to all states. After the other state takes over, the ORS will not have control over the child support case.

If you are supposed to be receiving child support or are unsure of whether or not you are entitled to support, you should closely evaluate your situation. After all, raising children can be incredibly challenging and parents should not have to struggle with child support matters.

CHILDREN OF DIVORCE NEED PARENTAL ATTENTION

Time is one of our most precious resources. Few people consider that they have enough time. For children of divorced families, they may say the same thing in relation to the amount of time they get to spend with each of their parents. Visitation plans and child custody agreements are emotional topics and hard for everyone involved. But there are ways that the situation can be made better.

An article recently published focuses on the importance of divorced parents spending maximum quality time with their children—without the interruption of technology. Considering the best interests of the child, a parent should instead focus their attention on the child when they are together, not the phone as much as is logically possible. It is through this type of undivided attention that children learn to bond and develop relationships.

Children who see only one parent at a time, whether mandated by a joint custody, sole custody with visitation rights or some other agreement, already have less time with each parent than their counterparts living with their biological married parents. If relocation is an issue, the child may see one parent even more rarely. The article urges more parents to curtail the use of cell phones during the already limited time they get to spend with their children.

The ability to provide the best for children can be something worth discussing with an attorney if you are going through a divorce. The ability to provide quality time and attention can be good for both parent and child and a family law attorney may be able to provide guidance on that.