If you have gone through a divorce and have minor children, it is common for the court to order a child support arrangement as part of the divorce proceedings.

The number of children born to unmarried parents has increased 377 percent since 2000, according to Families Online Magazine. If you are not married and the father of your child refuses to acknowledge paternity, federal law mandates every state has the right to order him to take a DNA test.

Approximately 10 percent of all Americans older than age 15 were divorced in 2009, according to a report by the Associated Press, republished on CBSNews.com, citing figures released by the United States Census Bureau.

As a parent, you have vowed to take care of your children until they have reached adulthood and sometimes beyond. Part of this includes planning for if the unthinkable happens, and you are no longer alive to fulfill this vow.

Although length of time is one consideration, it is not the only factor taken into consideration when an allegation of child abandonment is made in a child custody case, according to "Child Custody A to Z" by Guy J. White.

When a California judge issues a child support order, the payee must comply with the order for as long as the court requires or until it is changed. Child support payments do not last forever, and every court allows child support payers to modify the child support amount in certain situations.

If a parent with a child support obligation, or the custodial parent, moves to another state, a court can entertain the possibility of transferring the case to that other jurisdiction, according to the American Bar Association Section of Family Law.

In limited situations, the laws of all states permit a person the ability to obtain emergency custody of minor children, according to the American Bar Association Section of Family Law. Emergency custody is awarded by a judge on a temporary basis and usually without the benefit of a full hearing before the court.

Judges do not make custody decisions in all divorce, legal separation, paternity or similar types of cases. Rather, in many instances, the parents reach decisions regarding custody through face-to-face negotiations, according to "Child Custody A to Z" by Guy J. White.

States laws govern divorce filings, and you must meet specific state legal requirements to file in your county. Though most divorces are filed in county courthouses, some counties have numerous courthouses or locations where the actual filing can take place.

Child molestation is a crime involving sexual or inappropriate contact between an adult and a child. Commonly referred to as pedophilia, child abuse or child rape, molestation is a serious crime. Texas has several laws that apply to molestation cases, all of which provide for criminal penalties for any violator.

As a resident of New Jersey involved in a divorce or similar type of proceeding, a prime consideration for you may be how to file for child custody. Child custody laws and court procedures are codified in the New Jersey Permanent Statutes, Title 9.