Important Information on Paternity for Unmarried Mothers and Mothers-to-Be

              Every child needs to know the identity
of his or her father. Your child will grow
up confident and secure knowing that
he or she has a father as well as a
mother.
What is Paternity?
PATERNITY MEANS
LEGAL FATHERHOOD
Paternity is a legal relationship between
a father and his child.
If you were not married to your baby's
father when the child was born, he is
not considered the legal father of that
child. If you are going to have a baby,
his name will not be added to the
baby's birth certificate unless he estab-lishes
paternity.
Why Should I Establish Paternity?
To help ensure your child's right to have
a relationship with his/her father and his
family.
To add the father's name to the child's
birth certificate.
To get a legal document proving the
identity of your child's father.
To protect the father's rights if some-thing
should happen and you are
unable to care for your child.
To be able to have your child added to
his/her father's health insurance plan.
To make sure your child will have
access to family medical records that
contain information that could possibly
save his or her life.
To be able to request child support if
you and your baby's father 's relation-ship
ends.
To make sure that your child is eligible
to receive his or her father's Social
Security, veteran's benefits, and/or
inheritance in the event of his/her
father's death.
How can I make sure my child
has a legal father?
Signing a Voluntary Acknowledgment of
Paternity (VAP) at the hospital when
your child is born is the easiest and
fastest way to establish paternity and
get the father's name on your baby's
birth certificate.
You can also establish paternity at the
Illinois Department of Healthcare and
Family Services by:
• Signing the Voluntary
Acknowledgment of Paternity
• Agreeing to accept the results of a
genetic test
• You may also file a petition to
establish paternity by obtaining a
private attorney or going to court
on your own.
I'm concerned about signing the
paternity form because my child's
father is abusive. Do I have to
sign the form?
Signing the form is voluntary. If you fear
harm to yourself or your child, you
should not sign it. There are other ways
to establish paternity through the
Division of Child Support Enforcement.
A Family Violence indicator may be
included in your record. The decision is
yours.
Please note: Families who are receiv-ing
public assistance are required to
cooperate in the child support enforce-ment
process, which includes establish-ing
paternity. If you fear for your safety,
tell your assistance caseworker your
concerns and provide proof so that your
public assistance will not be affected.
Then you will not be required to cooper-ate
in the child support program. An
Order of Protection, police report, hos-pital
report or letter from a domestic
violence shelter is commonly accepted
as proof for an exemption. If you do not
have proof, you should ask that your
record show your circumstances for
future reference.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
800-799-SAFE (7233)
TTY 1-800-787-3224 Chicago
Domestic Violence Help Line
1-877-TO END DV (863-6338)
TTY 1-877-863-6339