Unique Minneapolis Court Aims to Help Unmarried Parents

September 20, 2012

Unique Minneapolis Court Aims to Help Unmarried Parents

About one-third of all newborns in Hennepin County are born to unmarried parents. That means the parents of approximately 5,000 newborns each year must figure out paternity and custody matters without the formal protection that marriage affords to parents.

Family courts can be difficult to navigate for unmarried parents. If parents are divorcing, the court is well equipped to handle custody matters. Married men are assumed to be the fathers of their wives' newborns, and are automatically given the rights and obligations of fathers. If parents are unmarried, however, the court has fewer resources to determine what custody situation is in the best interests of the child, and paternitymust be formally established. Establishing paternity in family court for a child born out of wedlock often results in a judge handing the father a financial obligation to support the child, but little else. While many fathers are in a relationship with the child's mother when the baby is born, after five years over one-third of children born to unmarried parents don't even know where their fathers are, Family Court Judge Bruce Peterson told Minnesota Public Radio.

Co-Parenting Court

One court in Hennepin County aims to help fathers play a more active role in the lives of their children. Co-parenting Court, a three-year test program run by Judge Peterson, gives unmarried parents help in deciding custody plans for their children. Co-parenting Court combats a single-mother mentality and the notion that all unmarried fathers must be "deadbeat dads." Instead, the court oversees four consecutive weekly meetings between selected mothers and fathers. The participants are randomly selected from poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and most participants come from minority groups.

The fathers and mothers meet in separate groups to discuss ways to co-parent. The co-parent "navigators" -- the instructors of the group -- give examples of constructive co-parenting and tips, such as to not disparage the other parent in front of the children and to create a parenting plan that includes scheduled time between father and child.

The court also includes outside community resources if applicable. For families dealing with domestic abuse or addiction issues, for example, the court can direct the parents to appropriate help.

At the end of the classes, the parents agree to a co-parenting plan in writing. If either parent fails to follow the plan, he or she can be brought before the court.

To ensure that parental rights are established and enforced, whether it's establishing paternity, physical and legal custody, or child support, contact an experienced family law attorney.

Article provided by Harris-Pearson, P.A.
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