If you have become a mother and are not married, you will receive an offer of support from the Youth Welfare Office immediately after the birth. This offer concerns the establishment of paternity and the assertion of child maintenance claims.

The application for assistance must be made in writing. Although this can be replaced by electronic form, you will need a qualified electronic signature for this. Discuss the application with the future guardian beforehand.

The guardianship begins as soon as your application has been received by the youth welfare office. You will not receive a confirmation.

The guardianship ends at the latest when the child reaches the age of majority. You can terminate it in writing at any time and apply for it again at any time. The guardianship also ends if the child usually lives abroad.

You can limit it at any time, even retrospectively, to individual tasks, for example establishing paternity.

When establishing paternity, the guardian first contacts the alleged father. If paternity is not recognised, he or she applies to the competent family court on behalf of the child to establish paternity.

When asserting maintenance claims for the child, the legal adviser asks the parent liable for maintenance to provide information on his or her income and financial circumstances and to voluntarily recognise the maintenance claim subsequently calculated by the legal adviser in the form of an enforceable deed. If the parent refuses to recognise the claim, for example because they consider the calculation to be incorrect, court proceedings will ensue.