Q: I signed my daughters birth certificate & pay child support, what right do I have in Oregon. She is being kept from me

A: Unfortunately the legal process to establish parenting time is often separate from the process that establishes child support. That is because the State has a federal mandate to pursue and collect child support any time someone requests any type of state assistance or even if the just ask the State to establish child support. As getting child support established is a free service that people get from the State, nothing more will happen unless you initiate it. Fortunately Oregon has free forms online and at the courthouse that you can use to apply to get your parenting time established. You just won't have any free legal help. But you can go to a lawyer for assistance or just for a one time consult to get a better understanding how the legal process functions for establishing parenting time..

You should be entitled to regular visitation with your child. Since your child doesn't know you I would recommend proposing a parenting time plan with day visits for a while until the child gets to know you and feels more comfortable and then the visits should progress to you having the child every other weekend. Of course if there is a big distance between where you and the child lives, this may need to be adjusted to fit the long distance situation. But generally speaking a non-custodial parent will get every other weekend, a midweek visit during the week, longer visits when the child is not in school like a few weeks in the summer, and unlimited access to attending the child's school and extra curricula activities (that parents normally attend) as well as the right to talk to the child's teachers, attend parent teacher conferences, and request medical information related to the child.

This is generally speaking. If the other parent raises concerns such as criminal issues or substance abuse that the court finds to be credible, the court may order a more limited form of visitation. But even in that situation, the court will usually come up with a plan that allows visitation.

I highly recommend you start by reading the free helpful over view articles on the Oregon State Bar website under the Family Law heading: http://www.osbar.org/public/legalinfo.html#family

A: If you are paying support ordered by the court, you have the right to see the child unless you are endangering her life. But I think you should consult with an attorney to get back with your daughter. The longer you wait the harder it will be for you both emotionally and financially. For now, you can use free consultation with an attorney to go over your options.