child support- where can i do paternity testing for foreign father?

[Acoldsummer2024]

AIBU to ask it here. Probably yes, but need the traffic.

My dc was born abroad to an american father and I pursued child support using paper forms.

I had a response from the state attorney's office saying they were unable to use their vendors for genetic testing in The UK and would I be able to ask my physician to do the genetic testing for my DC.

I asked the GP, they said no.

Does anyone know how I can do this? I can't afford a private testing place as they're like £300 and obviously I can't just fly back to The USA to do it.

Even if it was £100 to do it privately, I can't risk spending the little savings I do have, as it could amount to nothing.

Any ideas, from anyone who has been through similar?

Thanks in Advance

If he was willing to pay for things, I wouldn't be pursuing child support. I don't even know where he is. He went awol years ago.

Do you even know if he's still alive? Or has a job they can collect on?

It doesn't work like that. They get a minimum bill even if they don't have a job. They're expected to find work to pay it, or go to jail.

I would have heard from mutual acquaintance if he had died, even though he keeps his location quiet from people.

You need proper chain of evidence for the sample, no one is going to do it for buttons.

How are you going to make him pay if he's abroad?

Is there a risk he might claim custody of your daughter, in order to avoid paying?

I've sorted it now, thanks guy. Local private GP will do the sample collection for £100.

No chance. The daughter is habitually resident in the UK so it would be dealt with by the uk courts. They are not going to send her to live in America.

That makes sense.

They were only after someone reputable to take the sample and confirm that it's from the person you say it's from. Chain of evidence, sort of thing. You'll need to prove your daughter's identity to the GP so remember to take the correct documentation.

Thank you. It took me a while to figure out what they actually wanted but got there thanks to this thread. Even the private GP staff member was confused by their wording in the email, but she said it was probably more likely they wanted just the sample to be taken at this end rather than testing, but that they could offer either. Hopefully they can communicate between themselves to sort it out though and then tell me if I have to pay or if it comes under the court costs.