In 1996, California agency officials found 62 percent of noncustodial parents requiring location to establish support obligations. Establishing Paternity Establishing paternity is a prerequisite for obtaining or enforcing support orders. When alleged fathers are located, the FSD brings them before a court or administrative agency where they can either acknowledge or dispute paternity. If they dispute paternity, blood and other scientific tests are requested. If the alleged fathers deny paternity despite contrary test results, the courts decide paternity based on the test results and testimony.
States also administer in-hospital, voluntary paternity programs to comply with federal legislation.
In fact, an unmarried father's name cannot appear on his child's birth certificate unless he has signed this. In 1996, California established paternity for 183,424 children born nonmaritally, or more than six times the number in 1987. For many years, California trailed other states in establishing paternity, but this rapid improvement moved the state to the national average by 1994. A support order legally requires the noncustodial parent to support his children financially and sets the weekly payment. To comply with federal laws aimed at rationalizing the procedures for setting awards and reducing judicial discretion, states use formal guidelines to establish the monetary obligation of each order.