You have to submit the forms personally at the family court and send them through mail or fax. There are certain fees charged for filing for custody, so be prepared to pay a certain amount. After you have filed the necessary documents, your case will be decided by the family court. And when the forms have been received by the family court, you have to make sure you attend the scheduled hearing. Unmarried mothers and child custody In the case of unmarried mothers, most of their battles are often centered on the child s financial support from the father. Usually, paternity finding by a court is required before a father is forced to pay child support. Without it, it is impossible to enforce. On the other hand, voluntary child support payment from the unmarried father without the paternity finding is on shaky grounds. Being aware what does child custody mean would somehow give you an idea the responsibilities that come with it. This term is applicable when dealing with matters such as exercising the right of the parents when making decision for their kids and of course, when one pertains to the duty of the parents to care their kids. In most cases, both parents want custody of their children and are willing to give up everything just to win their custody battle. What most divorced or separated couples do not realize, however, is that custody should focus on what serves the best interest of their children. If you want to get custody of your child, follow these tips to win the custody battle. Physical custody is a good option since it allows you and your ex-spouse to spend a maximum amount of time with your child. However, this type of custody will work only if you and your ex-spouse live near each other. To prevent conflict from affecting your child, you and the other parent should have a cordial and workable relationship. This might some easy for some but many people are in fact having a hard time developing and maintaining a positive outlook in life. Maybe because people just have different personalities and different upbringing that affect the way they see life in general. If one wants to survive in these hard times, he or she must start developing a positive outlook in life.