§ 15-8-27. Voluntary acknowledgement - Family court practice. (a) In any action commenced before the family court, the father may acknowledge his paternity of the child with the clerk of the family court. Each acknowledgement must be signed by the person filing it and contain:
(1) The name, social security number, date of birth, and address of the person filing the acknowledgement;
(2) The name and last known address of the mother of the child;
(3) The date of birth of the child, or, if the child is unborn, the month and year in which the child is expected to be born; and
(4) The name and address of the presumed father, if any.
(b) The judge shall hold an informal hearing on the acknowledgement and shall enter an order establishing the paternity of the child and an order of support for the child; provided, that there are no objections from the natural mother or presumed father filed with the family court prior to the date of the informal hearing; and provided, further, that a copy of the acknowledgement and a notice of the informal hearing are duly served upon the mother and any presumed father in accordance with the rules of procedure for domestic relations.
(c) The voluntary acknowledgement of paternity shall be recognized by the family court as a basis for establishing a child support order for the child without requiring any further proceedings to establish paternity.
History of Section. (P.L. 1981, ch. 165, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 236, § 1.)