Establishing Paternity Benefits Your Child
Why both parents make a difference…
Establishing paternity provides emotional and legal benefits for both children and their parents, including:
Giving children the opportunity to form a relationship with both parents. It’s important for a child to know their mother and father, and they benefit from a relationship with both of them. Once paternity is established, the father is more likely to maintain his relationship with the child. His extended family may also be more likely to participate in his child’s life.
Helping children develop a sense of identity. Children have a need to know both parents and their family history to develop a sense of identity and family belonging. If the parents are not married, the father’s information can only appear on the child’s birth certificate once paternity has been established. In the absence of a signed paternity form (or a formal paternity proceeding), the father’s section on the birth certificate remains blank.
Providing children with access to both parents’ medical histories. When parents acknowledge paternity, the child will have access to information about medical histories on both sides of their family. This is especially important in situations in which the child inherits a medical problem. Additionally, after paternity is established, the father can add the child to his medical insurance policy.
Ensuring that both parents have custody and visitation rights. If parents are not married at the time of their child’s birth, the mother is presumed to have custody. However, by establishing paternity, the father can ask the court for visitation rights and share in custody arrangements.
Gaining adoption rights. Once a father acknowledges paternity, he gains the right to be notified of any plans to have the child adopted by someone else. This provides an important safeguard for the father, the child, and prospective adoptive parents.
Providing access to financial benefits. Acknowledging paternity potentially allows the child to qualify for important financial benefits from the father. Possibilities include Social Security, life insurance, pensions, veteran’s benefits, and inheritance rights in the event that something happens to the father.
Providing access to child support. By establishing paternity, both parents are able to contribute to their child’s financial and emotional security, because both parents are legally and financially responsible for their child.
