A Grandparent’s Right to Visitation
Under Missouri law, a grandparent, under certain circumstances, may petition the Court for visitation rights relating to a grandchild. This fact sheet provides information on the three circumstances in which a grandparent may seek a Court order to obtain visitation rights.
Becoming A Foster Parent
The required training and assessment process in becoming a foster parent is discussed in this fact sheet.
Education and Child Care Assistance
This fact sheet provides information on the educational enrollment of children of caregivers, educational enrollment for disabled children, early intervention and special education, early childhood education, and child care services.
Immigrant Children and Refugees
Information on programs and organizations that provide assistance and support for immigrant children and youth and refugees is included in this fact sheet.
Legal Issues for Kinship Caregivers
This fact sheet discusses legal issues for kinship caregivers such as adoption, guardianship, and consent for healthcare.
Paternity
This fact sheet provides information on legally establishing paternity and paternity litigation.
Public Assistance to Caregivers
Information on child support for non-parent caregivers, subsidies for guardians and adoptive parents, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, food assistance (SNAP), energy assistance, Medicaid for qualifying individuals, and Medicaid for qualifying low-income households is included in this fact sheet.
Public Assistance to Children of Caregivers
This fact sheet provides information on Healthcare through Missouri HealthNet (Medicaid) for Families and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Social Security benefits for children with disabilities including information on how disabled and/or blind children can obtain Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is also discussed.
Public Assistance to Older Youth
Information on the Older Youth Program administered by Missouri’s Department of Social Services is provided in this fact sheet.
Requesting Vital Documents
This fact sheet provides information on the process of requesting birth and death certificates, Social Security Number, passports, and name change for a minor child.
Tax Benefits for Caregivers
Tax benefits such as Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and Adoption Tax Credit are discussed in this fact sheet.
Limited Scope Representation
If you have a family law issue and do not feel that you can afford to hire an attorney to resolve the matter then another option may be to hire an attorney for limited scope representation.
The Lawyer Search feature allows the public to search for family law attorneys who will provide limited scope representation. There is a dropdown box on the Lawyer Search page under “Choose Area of Practice” where you can select the area of law on which you’d like to search. If you select “Family Law – Limited Scope Representation” then this will give you a list of attorneys that have registered through this search feature who offer limited scope representation. There are dozens of attorneys in Missouri that have registered through Lawyer Search indicating they offer limited scope representation for family law matters.
Below are links to blog posts that explain what limited scope is:
Hiring a Lawyer for Limited Scope Representation
Seven Things You Should Know About Limited Scope Representation