Hospital Resources
Hospitals play a vital role in assisting parents with establishing paternity for their child. For a child born to unwed parents, establishing paternity provides that child with legal proof of parentage, including legal rights and eligibility for parental benefits. The paternity of a child must be established if a child is born to an unmarried mother or a mother who has not been married within the past 10 months.Hospital Responsibilities
Provide parents with information on the voluntary acknowledgment of paternity process at the time of a child’s birth, including:- Assisting parents with the Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity (Affidavit)
- Assisting both parents to ensure they understand the consequences, rights and responsibilities that appear on the Affidavit, and offering notary public services.
- Sharing the publication Take the First Step For Your Child: Establish Paternity
- Provide one copy of the completed Affidavit form to each parent.
