Legal Aid of North Carolina

OTHER PARENT'S WHEREABOUTS ARE UNKNOWN:

You must do your best to find out where the other parent is located. If you are not successful, you will have to give the other parent legal notice of the case by publishing a notice in a newspaper. The notice must be in a certain format and it cannot be published in just any newspaper. Thus, you should seek advice from a lawyer before filing your case.

CHILDREN LIVE WITH SOMEONE WHO IS NOT THEIR PARENT:

If the children were not placed with this person by the Department of Social Services, and if there is no court order giving this non-parent legal custody, the sheriff's office may help you. The parents of a child have rights over anyone who is not the child's parent.