All Family Law Resources
This page contains resources for all family law subtopics.
Military Protective Orders
This page includes information about Military Protective Orders and their protection on military bases
Laws on Sexuality Issues in California
Info about sex ed, age of consent, LGBTQ, HIV/AIDS, condoms, birth control, abortion, pregnancy, emergency contraception, sexting.
My School, My Rights
As a student, you have rights at school: dress codes & uniforms, student expression, searches of students, school discipline, cell phone privacy, LGBTQ, pregnant & parenting students, social media, foster youth, file a complaint.
Emancipation
Emancipation is a way for children to become adults before 18. If successful, someone under 18 will be legally recognized as an adult. This resource talks about how this process works and some of the consequences of emancipation.
Medi-Cal Program for Former Foster Youth
Get information about receiving Medi-Cal coverage until age 26 regardless of income and how to apply for the FFY program.
My School, My Rights
As a student, you have rights at school: dress codes & uniforms, student expression, searches of students, school discipline, cell phone privacy, LGBTQ, pregnant & parenting students, social media, foster youth, file a complaint.
Health Services for Possibly Pregnant Teens
Our Goals: Increase access to and utilization of needed services, increase social and emotional support and build resiliency, empower youth to cultivate personal autonomy to make informed decisions about their sexual reproductive health, and strengthen youth knowledge and self-efficacy for education and career attainment. This Program Serves: Young people up to 21 years of age (at the time of enrollment) who are expecting, parenting, and/or working on gaining or regaining custody of their child(ren), including partners in pregnancy and parenting. Service Delivery: Services are provided by county health departments, hospitals and community-based organizations. Click below for your local resources. Outcomes: The Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP) is a strengths-based case management program for expectant and parenting youth that utilizes the evidence-informed AFLP PYD model. The AFLP PYD model has been shown to improve outcomes related to family planning, education, basic needs, social support and emotional resiliency, and health. Refer to the data briefs on AFLP Program Evaluation page for more information about program participants and evaluation findings.
My School, My Rights
As a student, you have rights at school: dress codes & uniforms, student expression, searches of students, school discipline, cell phone privacy, LGBTQ, pregnant & parenting students, social media, foster youth, file a complaint.
Gun Violence or "Red Flag" Restraining Order
You can ask for a firearms restraining order against a close family member if you are afraid they may hurt themselves, or another person, with a gun. This resource has more information on how to ask for these orders from a judge. This also has information for people accused of domestic violence who have been served restraining orders.
Laws on Sexuality Issues in California
Info about sex ed, age of consent, LGBTQ, HIV/AIDS, condoms, birth control, abortion, pregnancy, emergency contraception, sexting.
My School, My Rights
As a student, you have rights at school: dress codes & uniforms, student expression, searches of students, school discipline, cell phone privacy, LGBTQ, pregnant & parenting students, social media, foster youth, file a complaint.
Check If You Can Get Public Benefits in California
Interactive tool to help connect individuals to information about different state benefits available including disaster relief.
CalWORKs Child Care
The program helps a family access immediate child care as the parent works or performs their welfare-to-work activity. The purpose of the program is to support parents as they transition to the stable, long-term child care necessary for the family to leave and remain off aid.
Housing Rights for Licensed Childcare Providers
California law forbids landlords, homeowner associations (HOAs), and others from discriminating against someone because they run a licensed child care home. This document from the California Civil Rights Department is a page answering common questions regarding the rights of licensed childcare providers.
Immigration through Intercountry Adoption
The process varies depending on the origin country.
Intercountry Adoption: Understanding the Hague Convention
This page has general information on adoptions under the Hague Convention, accredited adoption agencies, visa requirements, and more.
Emergency Preparedness: Childcare Safety Plan
The CSP is a free, bilingual (English/Spanish), user-friendly and self-help template for a parent to designate another adult as a caregiver for their minor child and give that caregiver the authority and information necessary to care for the child. In addition, the CSP educates parents about the difference between caregivers and guardians and attaches the Caregiver Authorization Affidavit and the Nomination of (Joint) Guardian legal forms and a POA for travel of minor child abroad.
Apply for Child Support Services
Apply for child support online or find out how to apply in person.
Child Support Basics
Asking for, responding to, changing, paying a child support order, collecting a child support order, and court forms.
Establishing Legal Parentage
Parentage” is the recognition of a parent’s legal relationship to a child. The Parentage Opportunity Program (POP) is a voluntary program for eligible parents to establish legal parentage free of charge. This significantly decreases the time and money required to establish legal parentage through the lengthy and expensive court process. A filed Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) has the same force and effect as a judgement for parentage issued by a court.
Collecting and Changing a Spousal/Partner Support Order
Getting an earnings assignment (wage garnishment).
Spousal/Partner Support
When a couple legally separates or divorces, the court may order 1 spouse or domestic partner to pay the other a certain amount of support money each month. This is called "spousal support" for married couples and "partner support" in domestic partnerships. It is sometimes also called "alimony."
Alternative Dispute Resolution
ADR Types and Benefits. The Judicial Council of California has created a video series with descriptions of different kinds of dispute resolution and where each might be helpful.
Ask for a Fee Waiver if you can't afford filing fees
In most cases, you have to pay a fee to file papers with the court. If you can’t afford the filing fee, you can ask the court for a “fee waiver” in order to file for free. With a fee waiver, you also may not have to pay for certified copies, sheriff's service of process fees, or other costs related to starting a case, such as the cost for a court reporter to be at your trial.
Changing Your Legal Identification in California
The law and risks around federal identity documents is changing. Seek the advice of an attorney for help with federal identity documents. This document was updated in 2023.
Civil Harassment Restraining Orders
Civil harassment is abuse, threats of abuse, stalking, sexual assault, or serious harassment by someone you have not dated and do NOT have a close relationship with, like a neighbor, a roommate, or a friend (that you have never dated). It is also civil harassment if the abuse is from a family member (like an uncle or aunt, a niece or nephew, or a cousin).
Court's Resource for Child Abuse & Neglect
The juvenile court gets involved in the lives of children when there are concerns that a parent is not able to keep his or her child safe from abuse or neglect (and the court starts a juvenile dependency case), or minors are accused of breaking the law.
Custody Mediation and Counseling
In mediation, the parents have the help of an expert (a mediator) in resolving these disagreements. If the parents are able to work out an agreement, the mediator helps the parents write a parenting plan that may then become a custody and visitation order if it is signed by a judge.
Custody & Parenting Time (Visitation)
Parenting time: developing plans, custody and parenting time (visitation) orders, and supervised visitation.
Divorce or Separation
Divorce is a legal way to end a marriage or domestic partnership. After a divorce, you’re no longer married. In your divorce case, the judge can make decisions about things like money, property, and children. You don’t need your spouse’s agreement to get a divorce. You can get divorced for any reason.
Gun Violence or "Red Flag" Restraining Order
You can ask for a firearms restraining order against a close family member if you are afraid they may hurt themselves, or another person, with a gun. This resource has more information on how to ask for these orders from a judge. This also has information for people accused of domestic violence who have been served restraining orders.
Name Change After or During a Divorce Case
If you are getting divorced and want to change your name to back to your maiden name, you can usually do that in your divorce case.
Property and Debt in a Divorce or Legal Separation
Types of property: community, separate, quasi-community, and mixed community.
Responding to Divorce or Separation
Your options if you were asked for a divorce or separation.
Spousal/Partner Support
When a couple legally separates or divorces, the court may order 1 spouse or domestic partner to pay the other a certain amount of support money each month. This is called "spousal support" for married couples and "partner support" in domestic partnerships. It is sometimes also called "alimony."
File a Healthcare Civil Rights Complaint
Find out how you can file a healthcare complaint with HHS online and offline in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Polish. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion in programs or activities that HHS directly operates or to which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint with OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your disability by a State or local government health care or social services agency, you may file a complaint with the OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. Consult with an attorney if you want to find out if you have additional legal claims. Your complaint may impact your legal claims in the future.
Housing Rights for Licensed Childcare Providers
California law forbids landlords, homeowner associations (HOAs), and others from discriminating against someone because they run a licensed child care home. This document from the California Civil Rights Department is a page answering common questions regarding the rights of licensed childcare providers.
California Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
A domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) is a civil court order that is signed by a judge and tells the abuser to stop the abuse or face serious legal consequences. This resource provides basic information on domestic violence retraining orders, who can get them, how to get them, and what happens after a hearing.
Can a Domestic Violence Restraining Order Help Me?
The court can help protect people who have been abused or threatened with abuse by someone you dated, lived with, or are related to. This sheet has information on the kinds of relationships that qualify for a domestic violence restraining order, how to get such an order from the court, and the confidential address program.
Child Custody Basics
This webpage has basic information about California laws around child custody, what the courts are looking for in your documents, what the process looks like, and enforcing your orders. Start here!
Domestic Violence and Tribal Law
This page includes general information about domestic violence in tribal law, information on tribal protection orders, and links to other online resources for domestic violence on tribal land. Legal definitions of domestic violence may be different on tribal land. Seek the advice of an attorney to confirm what laws may apply in your situation.
Domestic Violence Information
This resource by the Women's Law organization will assist you in answering the following questions: What is domestic violence? Who does domestic violence happen to? This document doesn't cover laws around domestic violence. Please remember that the law defines domestic violence and dating violence in very specific ways. Every state and U.S. territory has laws that allow its courts to issue protection orders, as do many tribal lands. Each state, territory or tribe decides for itself how to define domestic violence and how its laws will help and protect victims, so the laws are different from one state to another.
File a Healthcare Civil Rights Complaint
Find out how you can file a healthcare complaint with HHS online and offline in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Polish. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion in programs or activities that HHS directly operates or to which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint with OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your disability by a State or local government health care or social services agency, you may file a complaint with the OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. Consult with an attorney if you want to find out if you have additional legal claims. Your complaint may impact your legal claims in the future.
Grandparent Visitation Rights through Court
In some situations, grandparents can petition the court to visit their grandchild.
Housing Rights for Licensed Childcare Providers
California law forbids landlords, homeowner associations (HOAs), and others from discriminating against someone because they run a licensed child care home. This document from the California Civil Rights Department is a page answering common questions regarding the rights of licensed childcare providers.
Immigration through Intercountry Adoption
The process varies depending on the origin country.
Know Your Rights: Searches of Students
What is the school and officers allowed to do?
Laws on Sexuality Issues in California
Info about sex ed, age of consent, LGBTQ, HIV/AIDS, condoms, birth control, abortion, pregnancy, emergency contraception, sexting.
My School, My Rights
As a student, you have rights at school: dress codes & uniforms, student expression, searches of students, school discipline, cell phone privacy, LGBTQ, pregnant & parenting students, social media, foster youth, file a complaint.
Pension Rights After Divorce
This site has some helpful information on the court orders required to access some types of pensions following a divorce.
Relocating or Moving with a Child with a Child Custody Agreement
This resource has information for if one parent in a child custody agreement wants to move out of the county they live in.
Types of Restraining Orders
A restraining order protects someone from being physically or sexually abused, threatened, stalked, or harassed.
File a Healthcare Civil Rights Complaint
Find out how you can file a healthcare complaint with HHS online and offline in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Polish. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion in programs or activities that HHS directly operates or to which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint with OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your disability by a State or local government health care or social services agency, you may file a complaint with the OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. Consult with an attorney if you want to find out if you have additional legal claims. Your complaint may impact your legal claims in the future.
Check If You Can Get Public Benefits in California
Interactive tool to help connect individuals to information about different state benefits available including disaster relief.
Can a Domestic Violence Restraining Order Help Me?
The court can help protect people who have been abused or threatened with abuse by someone you dated, lived with, or are related to. This sheet has information on the kinds of relationships that qualify for a domestic violence restraining order, how to get such an order from the court, and the confidential address program.
Child Custody Basics
This webpage has basic information about California laws around child custody, what the courts are looking for in your documents, what the process looks like, and enforcing your orders. Start here!
Child Support Basics
Asking for, responding to, changing, paying a child support order, collecting a child support order, and court forms.
Domestic Violence Information
This resource by the Women's Law organization will assist you in answering the following questions: What is domestic violence? Who does domestic violence happen to? This document doesn't cover laws around domestic violence. Please remember that the law defines domestic violence and dating violence in very specific ways. Every state and U.S. territory has laws that allow its courts to issue protection orders, as do many tribal lands. Each state, territory or tribe decides for itself how to define domestic violence and how its laws will help and protect victims, so the laws are different from one state to another.
File a Healthcare Civil Rights Complaint
Find out how you can file a healthcare complaint with HHS online and offline in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Polish. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion in programs or activities that HHS directly operates or to which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint with OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your disability by a State or local government health care or social services agency, you may file a complaint with the OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. Consult with an attorney if you want to find out if you have additional legal claims. Your complaint may impact your legal claims in the future.
New Social Security Numbers for Domestic Violence Victims
Sometimes, the best way to evade an abuser and reduce the risk of further violence may be to relocate and establish a new identity. Following these changes, getting a new Social Security number may also be helpful.
Staying Safe
These pages provide tips to help keep you as safe as possible while you are still in an abusive relationship, when you are preparing to leave, and after you have left.
Technology Safety Plan
This resource from the Safety Net Project describes how survivors of intimate partner violence or domestic violence can make a safety plan to protect their digital privacy.
Ask WomensLaw.org a Question!
The purpose of this Email Hotline is for WomensLaw to provide basic legal information, referrals, and emotional support. The purpose of this Email Hotline is to provide U.S.-based legal information related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. All emails are answered or reviewed by an attorney. However, we cannot provide legal advice or representation and we cannot call you on the phone. You can expect to receive a response within 1-5 business days.
Building Your Case: How to Document Abuse
Documentation of your partner"s abusive behaviors can be an important component of your case.
Child Protective Services (CPS)
Child Protective Services (CPS) serves abused and neglected children and their families. For more information about CPS, their referral process, and resources, please visit this site.
Domestic Violence Help Near You
This map is a useful tool for finding domestic violence organizations in your community who are Members of the Partnership. Some organizations are able to provide legal services, shelter services, and other support for people experiencing domestic violence.
Emergency Preparedness: Childcare Safety Plan
The CSP is a free, bilingual (English/Spanish), user-friendly and self-help template for a parent to designate another adult as a caregiver for their minor child and give that caregiver the authority and information necessary to care for the child. In addition, the CSP educates parents about the difference between caregivers and guardians and attaches the Caregiver Authorization Affidavit and the Nomination of (Joint) Guardian legal forms and a POA for travel of minor child abroad.
Families Change
This is an online guide for families going through separation and divorce. With three versions-- one for parents, one for children, and another for teens and pre-teens.
Health Services for Possibly Pregnant Teens
Our Goals: Increase access to and utilization of needed services, increase social and emotional support and build resiliency, empower youth to cultivate personal autonomy to make informed decisions about their sexual reproductive health, and strengthen youth knowledge and self-efficacy for education and career attainment. This Program Serves: Young people up to 21 years of age (at the time of enrollment) who are expecting, parenting, and/or working on gaining or regaining custody of their child(ren), including partners in pregnancy and parenting. Service Delivery: Services are provided by county health departments, hospitals and community-based organizations. Click below for your local resources. Outcomes: The Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP) is a strengths-based case management program for expectant and parenting youth that utilizes the evidence-informed AFLP PYD model. The AFLP PYD model has been shown to improve outcomes related to family planning, education, basic needs, social support and emotional resiliency, and health. Refer to the data briefs on AFLP Program Evaluation page for more information about program participants and evaluation findings.
Housing Rights for Licensed Childcare Providers
California law forbids landlords, homeowner associations (HOAs), and others from discriminating against someone because they run a licensed child care home. This document from the California Civil Rights Department is a page answering common questions regarding the rights of licensed childcare providers.
New Social Security Numbers for Domestic Violence Victims
Sometimes, the best way to evade an abuser and reduce the risk of further violence may be to relocate and establish a new identity. Following these changes, getting a new Social Security number may also be helpful.
Protect Yourself from Fraud and Financial Abuse
Seniors: Protect yourself from fraud and financial abuse! Be vigilant, be observant. Physical or financial abuse will continue so long as no one knows about it.
Staying Safe
These pages provide tips to help keep you as safe as possible while you are still in an abusive relationship, when you are preparing to leave, and after you have left.
Adoption Assistance by State
What is California's definition of special needs? What are the eligibility criteria for California's adoption assistance program? What is the maximum amount a family may receive in non-recurring adoption expense? Does California enter into deferred adoption assistance agreements? What types of postadoption services are available? What mental health services are provided? What is California's process for applying for a fair hearing?
Alternative Dispute Resolution
ADR Types and Benefits. The Judicial Council of California has created a video series with descriptions of different kinds of dispute resolution and where each might be helpful.
Apply for Child Support Services
Apply for child support online or find out how to apply in person.
Ask for a Fee Waiver if you can't afford filing fees
In most cases, you have to pay a fee to file papers with the court. If you can’t afford the filing fee, you can ask the court for a “fee waiver” in order to file for free. With a fee waiver, you also may not have to pay for certified copies, sheriff's service of process fees, or other costs related to starting a case, such as the cost for a court reporter to be at your trial.
Ask WomensLaw.org a Question!
The purpose of this Email Hotline is for WomensLaw to provide basic legal information, referrals, and emotional support. The purpose of this Email Hotline is to provide U.S.-based legal information related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. All emails are answered or reviewed by an attorney. However, we cannot provide legal advice or representation and we cannot call you on the phone. You can expect to receive a response within 1-5 business days.
Birth Records Self-Help Kit: How Native American Adoptees Can Get Their Birth Records in California
This guide explains what you need to do if you were adopted, you think you are Native American, you live in California and/or were born in California, and you want to enroll in your tribe.
Building Your Case: How to Document Abuse
Documentation of your partner"s abusive behaviors can be an important component of your case.
California Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
A domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) is a civil court order that is signed by a judge and tells the abuser to stop the abuse or face serious legal consequences. This resource provides basic information on domestic violence retraining orders, who can get them, how to get them, and what happens after a hearing.
CalWORKs Child Care
The program helps a family access immediate child care as the parent works or performs their welfare-to-work activity. The purpose of the program is to support parents as they transition to the stable, long-term child care necessary for the family to leave and remain off aid.
Can a Domestic Violence Restraining Order Help Me?
The court can help protect people who have been abused or threatened with abuse by someone you dated, lived with, or are related to. This sheet has information on the kinds of relationships that qualify for a domestic violence restraining order, how to get such an order from the court, and the confidential address program.
Changing Your Legal Identification in California
The law and risks around federal identity documents is changing. Seek the advice of an attorney for help with federal identity documents. This document was updated in 2023.
Check If You Can Get Public Benefits in California
Interactive tool to help connect individuals to information about different state benefits available including disaster relief.
Child Custody Basics
This webpage has basic information about California laws around child custody, what the courts are looking for in your documents, what the process looks like, and enforcing your orders. Start here!
Child Protective Services (CPS)
Child Protective Services (CPS) serves abused and neglected children and their families. For more information about CPS, their referral process, and resources, please visit this site.
Child Support and Alimony from Military or Civilian Employee
Follow the instructions below to collect child support or alimony from any member of the military, military retiree, or civilian employee for these agencies: Department of Defense, Health and Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Broadcast Board of Governors, Department of Energy.
Child Support Basics
Asking for, responding to, changing, paying a child support order, collecting a child support order, and court forms.
Civil Harassment Restraining Orders
Civil harassment is abuse, threats of abuse, stalking, sexual assault, or serious harassment by someone you have not dated and do NOT have a close relationship with, like a neighbor, a roommate, or a friend (that you have never dated). It is also civil harassment if the abuse is from a family member (like an uncle or aunt, a niece or nephew, or a cousin).
Collecting and Changing a Spousal/Partner Support Order
Getting an earnings assignment (wage garnishment).
Court's Resource for Child Abuse & Neglect
The juvenile court gets involved in the lives of children when there are concerns that a parent is not able to keep his or her child safe from abuse or neglect (and the court starts a juvenile dependency case), or minors are accused of breaking the law.
Custody Mediation and Counseling
In mediation, the parents have the help of an expert (a mediator) in resolving these disagreements. If the parents are able to work out an agreement, the mediator helps the parents write a parenting plan that may then become a custody and visitation order if it is signed by a judge.
Custody & Parenting Time (Visitation)
Parenting time: developing plans, custody and parenting time (visitation) orders, and supervised visitation.
Divorce or Separation
Divorce is a legal way to end a marriage or domestic partnership. After a divorce, you’re no longer married. In your divorce case, the judge can make decisions about things like money, property, and children. You don’t need your spouse’s agreement to get a divorce. You can get divorced for any reason.
Domestic Violence and Tribal Law
This page includes general information about domestic violence in tribal law, information on tribal protection orders, and links to other online resources for domestic violence on tribal land. Legal definitions of domestic violence may be different on tribal land. Seek the advice of an attorney to confirm what laws may apply in your situation.
Domestic Violence Help Near You
This map is a useful tool for finding domestic violence organizations in your community who are Members of the Partnership. Some organizations are able to provide legal services, shelter services, and other support for people experiencing domestic violence.
Domestic Violence Information
This resource by the Women's Law organization will assist you in answering the following questions: What is domestic violence? Who does domestic violence happen to? This document doesn't cover laws around domestic violence. Please remember that the law defines domestic violence and dating violence in very specific ways. Every state and U.S. territory has laws that allow its courts to issue protection orders, as do many tribal lands. Each state, territory or tribe decides for itself how to define domestic violence and how its laws will help and protect victims, so the laws are different from one state to another.
Emancipation
Emancipation is a way for children to become adults before 18. If successful, someone under 18 will be legally recognized as an adult. This resource talks about how this process works and some of the consequences of emancipation.
Emergency Preparedness: Childcare Safety Plan
The CSP is a free, bilingual (English/Spanish), user-friendly and self-help template for a parent to designate another adult as a caregiver for their minor child and give that caregiver the authority and information necessary to care for the child. In addition, the CSP educates parents about the difference between caregivers and guardians and attaches the Caregiver Authorization Affidavit and the Nomination of (Joint) Guardian legal forms and a POA for travel of minor child abroad.
Establishing Legal Parentage
Parentage” is the recognition of a parent’s legal relationship to a child. The Parentage Opportunity Program (POP) is a voluntary program for eligible parents to establish legal parentage free of charge. This significantly decreases the time and money required to establish legal parentage through the lengthy and expensive court process. A filed Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) has the same force and effect as a judgement for parentage issued by a court.
Families Change
This is an online guide for families going through separation and divorce. With three versions-- one for parents, one for children, and another for teens and pre-teens.
File a Healthcare Civil Rights Complaint
Find out how you can file a healthcare complaint with HHS online and offline in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Polish. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion in programs or activities that HHS directly operates or to which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint with OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your disability by a State or local government health care or social services agency, you may file a complaint with the OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. Consult with an attorney if you want to find out if you have additional legal claims. Your complaint may impact your legal claims in the future.
Grandparent Visitation Rights through Court
In some situations, grandparents can petition the court to visit their grandchild.
Health Services for Possibly Pregnant Teens
Our Goals: Increase access to and utilization of needed services, increase social and emotional support and build resiliency, empower youth to cultivate personal autonomy to make informed decisions about their sexual reproductive health, and strengthen youth knowledge and self-efficacy for education and career attainment. This Program Serves: Young people up to 21 years of age (at the time of enrollment) who are expecting, parenting, and/or working on gaining or regaining custody of their child(ren), including partners in pregnancy and parenting. Service Delivery: Services are provided by county health departments, hospitals and community-based organizations. Click below for your local resources. Outcomes: The Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP) is a strengths-based case management program for expectant and parenting youth that utilizes the evidence-informed AFLP PYD model. The AFLP PYD model has been shown to improve outcomes related to family planning, education, basic needs, social support and emotional resiliency, and health. Refer to the data briefs on AFLP Program Evaluation page for more information about program participants and evaluation findings.
Housing Rights for Licensed Childcare Providers
California law forbids landlords, homeowner associations (HOAs), and others from discriminating against someone because they run a licensed child care home. This document from the California Civil Rights Department is a page answering common questions regarding the rights of licensed childcare providers.
Immigration through Intercountry Adoption
The process varies depending on the origin country.
Intercountry Adoption: Understanding the Hague Convention
This page has general information on adoptions under the Hague Convention, accredited adoption agencies, visa requirements, and more.
Know Your Rights: Searches of Students
What is the school and officers allowed to do?
Laws on Sexuality Issues in California
Info about sex ed, age of consent, LGBTQ, HIV/AIDS, condoms, birth control, abortion, pregnancy, emergency contraception, sexting.
Medi-Cal Program for Former Foster Youth
Get information about receiving Medi-Cal coverage until age 26 regardless of income and how to apply for the FFY program.
Military Protective Orders
This page includes information about Military Protective Orders and their protection on military bases
My School, My Rights
As a student, you have rights at school: dress codes & uniforms, student expression, searches of students, school discipline, cell phone privacy, LGBTQ, pregnant & parenting students, social media, foster youth, file a complaint.
Name Change After or During a Divorce Case
If you are getting divorced and want to change your name to back to your maiden name, you can usually do that in your divorce case.
New Social Security Numbers for Domestic Violence Victims
Sometimes, the best way to evade an abuser and reduce the risk of further violence may be to relocate and establish a new identity. Following these changes, getting a new Social Security number may also be helpful.
Pension Rights After Divorce
This site has some helpful information on the court orders required to access some types of pensions following a divorce.
Property and Debt in a Divorce or Legal Separation
Types of property: community, separate, quasi-community, and mixed community.
Protect Yourself from Fraud and Financial Abuse
Seniors: Protect yourself from fraud and financial abuse! Be vigilant, be observant. Physical or financial abuse will continue so long as no one knows about it.
Relocating or Moving with a Child with a Child Custody Agreement
This resource has information for if one parent in a child custody agreement wants to move out of the county they live in.
Responding to Divorce or Separation
Your options if you were asked for a divorce or separation.
Spousal/Partner Support
When a couple legally separates or divorces, the court may order 1 spouse or domestic partner to pay the other a certain amount of support money each month. This is called "spousal support" for married couples and "partner support" in domestic partnerships. It is sometimes also called "alimony."
Staying Safe
These pages provide tips to help keep you as safe as possible while you are still in an abusive relationship, when you are preparing to leave, and after you have left.
Types of Restraining Orders
A restraining order protects someone from being physically or sexually abused, threatened, stalked, or harassed.
Unaccompanied Children Legal Rights Library
The UC Legal Rights Library helps lawyers and adults who support kids who came to the U.S. without their parents. It gives easy-to-understand legal info about their rights—like getting a lawyer, health care, and being safe in custody. Please talk to a lawyer using the "Find Help" button above to find out more about how this information applies to your situation.
Welcome to the Parentage Opportunity Program
The Parentage Opportunity Program offers eligible parents the opportunity to establish a legal parent-child relationship free of charge by signing and filing a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage. The Program is only one of two ways to legally establish parentage, and the program significantly decreases the time and money required to establish legal parentage through the lengthy and expensive court process. A filed Declaration has the same force and effect as a judgment for parentage issued by a court. A name on the birth certificate does not establish legal parentage.
What Are the Different Types of Dating Abuse?
Explore the tabs below to learn a few of the common types of abuse so you can better identify them.
What is the Indian Child Welfare Act?
If you"re a parent or Indian custodian, this guide can help you decide if ICWA applies to your situation, and explains what your rights are if ICWA does apply. It also explains what rights tribes have in your case, if ICWA applies.