As anyone gone through famlily court to get a DNA test to prove parentage? I can't get child support without doing this and I've got my legal aid solicitor all lined up and am going to file papers on the baby daddy within a month or so and was curious to hear stories from anyone else who has done the same.
Was it hard to find the father to serve the papers on him? Did your sexual history get dragged through the court? What was it all like?
I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing but determined to go through with to get the best outcome for my son!
I am a family law barrister and probably do 2-3 of these each month.
It's a very straightforward application, provided that you can have the papers served. If he avoids service, you can apply for substituted service (where he is served by post or at work etc).
You will be given a nice barrister, or alternatively your solicitor may do it for you, and you will sit quietly up the back of the court.
You won't get the Final Orders that you seek on the first day - it may take 2-3 court appearances before you get the orders that you need for Child Support etc. Make sure you have the "rejection" letter from Child Support.
Don't expect it to be a short process, it often takes 6 months from go to woe. You should tell Centrelink what you are doing so that they don't dock your pay TOO much.
Thanks for that Divvy! Especially the bit about substituted service! That is my main concern since he is doing all sorts of things like taking his address out of the phone book in the hope I didn't already have it, going silent on line, blocking Face Book, telling me he "moved to Singapore" etc. A letter from Legal Aid solicitor came back "There is NO ONE living here with that name" with the NO ONE underlined LOL. So I bet he does avoid service if he can!!
DNA Test/Parentage testing through Family Court
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