When it comes to the upbringing and development of a child both parents should be held responsible as both parents should be playing a role in the life of their children. The standard of living and the development of a child is another example of what is the responsibility of both parents when it comes to the upbringing of a child. All of these points are not just the responsibility of both parents but they also represent basic and fundamental human rights of children.

The process of a divorce is a hard enough situation to be facing regardless of how long the marriage lasted. This process is made ten times worse when it involves a child. Decisions need to be made to ensure that the child is affected as little as possible by the divorce and measures should be put in place to ensure that the child has a healthy upbringing in which they have access to both of their parents and have not only the emotional support that they need from a family environment but that they also have the financial support that a child should have from a family environment. This is where child support comes into play.

Child support represents an arm of family law. It is an ongoing obligation of a payment that is made by a non-custodial parent and is received by the custodial parent or a child support agency. This payment is used for the care and support of the child. It goes towards providing the child with aspects, which could range from clothing through to school fees. The overall aim and mission of child support is to improve the quality of life for your child and it is paid with their best interests in mind.

The concept of child support came about thanks to the policy that both parents are obligated to support their children, regardless of custodial arrangements. It is always the non-custodial parent who is the payer of child support. As well as providing child support payments, a non custodial parent will also be provided visitation rights to see their child. All of this is decided with the interest of the child in mind and is done in order to give the child as much of a family upbringing as possible as it is important in a child's development to have both of their parents present in their upbringing.

It is important to everyone involved that when child support is being calculated it is done so that all parties can cope with the arrangement. There are several ways that can be approached when it comes to calculating the amount of child support that should be given. Many jurisdictions consider multiple sources of information when determining how much child support should be paid by the non-custodial parent such as; the income of the parents, the number and ages of children living in the home, basic living expenses and school fees. If the child has special needs, or a serious illness/disability, then the costs for these may also be taken into consideration.

Once the amount of child support has been calculated it remains static unless reviewed. Either parent can ask for the payments to be reviewed due to certain circumstances such as a non-custodial parent facing financial hardship and may request lower payments.

Child support can make a massive difference to the quality of a child's life and will help to give your child a better upbringing, which includes giving them the best shot at some of the top education available.