Receive advice and assistance from the youth welfare office with questions about maintenance
Short text
- Assertion of maintenance claims Advice and support
- Parents are obliged to support their children
- If a parent does not live in the same household as their child, they must pay maintenance
- Youth welfare office advises and supports single parents with maintenance claims
- Entitlements apply to mothers from maternity leave and to fathers from the birth of the child
- The youth welfare office can also assume so-called guardianship of a child and legally represent them in proceedings
- Adults up to their 21st birthday can obtain advice and support from the youth welfare office on maintenance issues
- Responsible: local youth welfare office
Service description
Parents are obliged to support their children. If you are raising your child alone, the other parent must pay maintenance. As a mother, you are already entitled to maintenance during maternity leave, as a father immediately after the birth of the child. If the other parent does not fulfill their obligation, the Youth Welfare Office can provide you with legal advice and offer further support.
You can discuss what measures need to be taken with the Youth Welfare Office in a personal meeting. The youth welfare office will then help you to formulate letters, determine the amount of maintenance payments or initiate a garnishment if necessary.
Assistance
You can also set up a guardianship for your child at the youth welfare office. A guardianship is a special form of legal representation for children and young people. The youth welfare office can then legally represent the child in the relevant proceedings and thus relieve you. For example, it can
- request the father to acknowledge paternity and record the necessary documents,
- arrange for the paternity to be clarified in court,
- calculate your child's maintenance entitlement,
- regularly review the maintenance claim,
- record a deed of maintenance,
- enforce the maintenance claim in court,
- collect and monitor maintenance payments,
- determine the whereabouts and employer of the parent liable for maintenance and
- Initiate enforcement measures.
You can apply for guardianship before the child is born if you are not married and have not made any joint declarations of custody. After the birth, you can apply for guardianship at any time until the child reaches the age of majority. This does not restrict your custody rights.
End guardianship
You can terminate the guardianship at any time by means of a written declaration. It ends automatically when the child comes of age. They can then seek advice and support from the youth welfare office themselves until their 21st birthday.
Special information for - City of Kevelaer
The employees from the "Assistance" department- advise you as a caring parent on child maintenance matters
- calculate and certify your child's maintenance claim
- support you by formulating and preparing written pleadings
- represent your child as counsel in court in maintenance proceedings if the parent liable for maintenance does not voluntarily recognize your child's claim
- advise and support young adults in maintenance matters up to the age of 21
- advise and support you, as the caring parent, with regard to your own maintenance claims against the other parent
Legal basis
Costs
Special information for - City of KevelaerAdvice and support with child maintenance claims is free of charge, as is the management of a guardianship.
Further information
Special information for - City of KevelaerPlease make an appointment for a consultation in advance by telephone or email. Only then can it be guaranteed that there will be no unnecessary waiting times.
If no maintenance payments are to be expected in the short term, it may make sense to apply for benefits under the Maintenance Advance Act (UVG).