USA – MISSOURI Law and Practice Contributed by: Aaron Bundy and Hannah Lange, Bundy Law
support obligation past the child’s 18th birthday. If – when a child reaches the age of 18 – the child is enrolled in and attending a secondary school programme of instruction, the support obligation shall continue if the child continues to attend and progresses towards completion of said programme, until the child completes such programme or reaches the age of 21 (whichever occurs first). A custodian of a minor child may apply for child support. A minor child may not apply for child support themselves. 3.3 Other Matters Missouri courts have the power to issue orders concerning the welfare and upbringing of a child if the parents do not agree. Courts have rec - ognised parental alienation as a factor in mak - ing child custody orders. An attempt by a par - ent to alienate a child from the other parent is a changed condition and can form the basis for a modification of custody (Eatherton v Eatherton, 725 SW 2d 125, 128 (Mo App 1987)).
As the mandatory factors for a child custody decision include the child’s input, the court may hear from a child in a variety of formats. The judge may interview the child in chambers ((Section 452.385 of the Revised Statutes of Mis - souri). If the judge determines that the child is a competent witness, a parent may call a child as a witness to testify in the courtroom. A guardian ad litem may also be appointed in cases involv - ing child custody and will interview all persons with knowledge about the child’s preference(s), including the child. 3.4 ADR See 2.9 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) . 3.5 Media Access and Transparency See 2.8 Media Access and Transparency .
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