Child support
Family law
Entering into marriage
Prenuptial agreement
Marriage
Common-law marriage
Same-sex marriage
Legal states similar
to marriage
Cohabitation · Civil union
Domestic partnership
Registered partnership
Putative marriage
Dissolution of marriage
Annulment · Divorce · Alimony
Issues affecting children
Paternity · Legitimacy · Adoption
Legal guardian · Foster care
Ward · Emancipation of minors
Grandparent visitation
Child Protective Services
(United States)
Parental responsibility
Contact (including visitation)
Residence in English law
Custody · Child support
Related areas
Spousal abuse · Child abuse
Child abduction · Child marriage
Adultery · Bigamy · Incest
Conflict of laws
Marriage · Nullity · Divorce
In family law and government policy, child
support or child maintenance is the ongo-
ing obligation for a periodic payment made
directly or indirectly by a non-custodial par-
ent to a custodial parent, caregiver or guardi-
an, or the government, for the care and
support of children of a relationship or mar-
riage that has been terminated. In family law,
child support is often arranged as part of a
divorce, marital separation, dissolution, an-
nulment, determination of parentage or dis-
solution of a civil union and may supplement
alimony
(spousal
support)
arrange-
ments.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
The right to child support and the re-
sponsibilities of parents to provide such sup-
port have been internationally recognized.
The 1992 United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child, a binding convention
signed by every member nation of the United
Nations and formally ratified by all but
two,[8] declares that the upbringing and de-
velopment of children and a standard of liv-
ing adequate for the children’s development
is a common responsibility of both parents
and a fundamental human right for children,
and asserts that the primary responsibility to
provide such for the children rests with their
parents.[9] Other United Nations documents
and decisions related to child support en-
forcement include the