Info you can use: Child support matters
CHILD support is the ongoing periodic payment made by a parent for the benefit of a child and usually follows the end of a marriage or other relationship.
Child support is enforced by the Maintenance Act of 2005, section four. The Act states that every parent is obligated to provide for their unmarried child, once they are a minor or in need of special assistance due to a physical or mental disability.
Child maintenance can be legally binding until the age of 23. Grandparents or legal guardians may also be ordered to pay child support if a parent has died or if the parent has been rendered incapable of caring for the child.
A person may apply to the parish court in the parish they reside or at the Kingston and St Andrew Family Court.
Once the application is complete, a summons will be issued to the parent against whom the claim is being made. Both parents must then appear in court; a lawyer is optional.
