Parents are obliged to provide for the maintenance of their children. If you raise your child alone, then the other parent will have to pay alimony. 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 fulfil his or her duty, the Youth Welfare Office can provide you with legal advice and further support.

You will discuss which measures need to be initiated together with the Youth Welfare Office in a personal meeting. The Youth Welfare Office will then help you to formulate letters, determine the amount of alimony payments or initiate a seizure if necessary.

Guardianship

You can also set up a guardianship for your child at the Youth Welfare Office. A guardianship is a special form of legal representation of children and adolescents. The Youth Welfare Office can then legally represent the child in the relevant proceedings and thus relieve you. It can, for example:

• ask the father to acknowledge paternity and take the necessary documents,
• arrange for the judicial clarification of paternity,
• calculate your child's right to maintenance,
• regularly review the maintenance claim,
• record a deed of maintenance,
• enforce the maintenance claim in court,
• collect and control alimony payments;
• determine the residence and employer of the parent liable for maintenance, and
• Initiate foreclosure actions.

You can apply for guardianship before the birth of the child if you are not married and have not submitted joint declarations of custody. After the birth, you can apply for guardianship at any time until the child reaches the age of majority. Your custody will not be restricted.

Ending Guardianship

You can terminate the guardianship at any time by means of a written declaration. It ends automatically when the child reaches the age of majority. They can then seek advice and support from the Youth Welfare Office until their 21st birthday.