Other Family Matters
Grandparent Visitation
In Indiana grandparents “rights” may be established only in certain situations. These include:
- When the parents of the child are divorced;
- When a parent is deceased; and
- If the parents do not marry, only after paternity has been established.
In these situations, grandparents have the right to petition the court for visitation of their grandchild(ren). The Court determines whether grandparent visitation is in the child’s best interest and how much visitation is appropriate. The Court considers a number of factors such as whether or not the grandparent has an established relationship with the child.
Talk to an attorney to discuss the facts of your particular situation.
Support
Support of a child is required in Indiana. It is a right that flows to the child. The amount of support that is to be paid or received depends on a number of factors. The most significant factor is the income of the parents. Other circumstances that can influence the amount of support are the number of overnights each parent has with the child, daycare costs and health care premiums.
Calculating child support is complicated and requires a trained professional to make certain all issues are addressed but you can visit our Resource Page to access the state child support calculator.
Paternity
Paternity of a child should be established if the child’s parents decide they do not want to get married. Paternity establishes parental rights and obligations for the father. Other issues that can be addressed at the same time paternity is established are legal and physical custody, parenting time and support. Discuss your particular situation with your attorney to determine what legal action you should take.
Parenting Time
Parenting time can be defined as the amount of time each parent spends with their child or children. If the amount of time each parent spends with the child(ren) approaches 50%, parenting time can be discussed in terms of “custody”.
Parents should attempt to reach an agreement as to the schedule and amount of time each parent will spend with their child(ren). If an agreement cannot be reached, the court will make a parenting time schedule for the parties.
The Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines are extremely informative and should be read and kept on hand as a quick reference. You may access The Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines on our resource page.
