Q: Hi my son's father is not on the birth certificate do I have full and sole custody of my child or do i have file paper

A: If the father is not on the birth certificate he is not proven to be the father so he can't claim custody at the moment. But this could change in the future if you request state assistance either by applying for the Oregon Health Plan or something else like food stamps. The State will require that you agree to let the State establish paternity and start a child support order because the State will want to father to reimburse the State for any money paid to you.

You can also just go and apply to the State for help establishing child support and the State will both establish paternity and child support for you at no charge. Once that is done you can file with the court to establish your custody which shouldn't be hard to do if you have been the sole parent in the child's life up to the point you file in the court. It is generally a good idea to establish child support as soon as you can since raising a child is very expensive.

I do sometimes advise mother's not to pursue child support in situations where the father is someone that would be a dangerous person to have in the mother's or the child's life. This is a decision that should only be made after consulting with an attorney. You can only choose to exclude the father if you don't seek any form of State assistance and if the father doesn't file to establish paternity and support, which the father could do if he wants to. (Keep in mind that there are ways to limit the father's contact with the mother and/or the child if you have proof that the father is dangerous, and still get child support. But talk to an attorney to see if your situation would support that option.)