Warning - DNA testing kits could affect your chances in court!

DNA testing has had a place in determining issues of paternity for some time. It would usually be used in response to a claim for child maintenance. Now, for the very first time, DNA testing kits are available to buy on the high street. The kits are now on sale in many UK chemists and will allow families to establish the parentage of a child quickly and cheaply. However, many lawyers are advising their clients that these kits should carry a warning!

When the Courts order DNA testing to establish paternity, children would often have access to counselling. The availability of the kits could have the potential for older children to receive devastating news about their parentage without adequate support. Some critics have even suggested that the wide availability of the kits could encourage a casual attitude to having a child.

Any parent who is considering using one of these kits should be warned that both parents must consent to the test. This is particularly important if the parent is hoping to use the results of the test as evidence in child maintenance proceedings. DNA testing to establish paternity must be done formally under strict guidelines for the purposes of the Child Support Agency.

First priority must be given to safeguarding the children and the Courts will frown upon anyone attempting a test without the consent of the other parent. These are sensitive issues and must be handled in the best interests of the children. For advice please speak to either Kim Aucott or Michael Chapman in our family team.