LawHelp HTML Document

Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship (SAPCR)

SAPCR: Custody, visitation and support when you're not divorcing.

Susan and Tom lived together, but weren't married. Susan got pregnant and had Tom's baby. After they had one child, they had another. They lived together, with the two kids, for four more years, but never married. One day, Tom decided family life wasn't his thing. He left Susan and the kids to pursue his rock star dreams.

Susan had trouble paying for daycare on her salary, alone. Tom felt Susan was punishing him. She wouldn't let him see the kids when he happened to be in town. Now that they've separated, Susan and Tom need help defining their parental rights and responsibilities.

When people become parents, they automatically have parental rights and responsibilities. If both parents live together, it's usually not necessary for a court to divide those rights. But sometimes parents separate or a relative must care for the children. When this happens, a court needs to establish custody, visitation, and child support. Court orders that divide parental rights are called Suits Affecting the Parent - Child Relationship (SAPCR orders) . SAPCR orders can be part of a divorce or paternity case. If paternity is already established and the parties aren't divorcing, the case is simply called a Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship. SAPCR cases are governed by Subtitle B of the Texas Family Code.

Who can file a SAPCR?

You may be able to file a SAPCR if you meet one of these requirements:

You are the child's parent, guardian, conservator, or legal representative.
You are the child's alleged father.
You had physical custody of the child for at least six months.
You have lived with the child and the child's parent, guardian, or conservator for at least six months and the child's parent, guardian, or conservator has died.
You are the child's foster parent.
You are the child's close relative and the child's parents have died.
You are the child's prospective adoptive parent.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions

There are two types of cases:

Click here for steps

Last Modified: 1/12/2010

Information Not Legal Advice. This web site has been prepared for general information purposes only. The information on this web site is not legal advice. Legal advice involves the application of legal knowledge and skills by a licensed attorney to your specific circumstances.

Also, laws vary from state to state, so some information on this web site may not be correct for where you live. Laws also change frequently so the information contained in this web site is not guaranteed to be up to date.

Therefore, the information contained in this web site cannot replace the advice of a competent attorney licensed in your state.

Lawyer Advertising. In some jurisdictions this web site may be considered lawyer advertising. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements.

Any listing of an attorney does not constitute a recommendation of the attorney. Before hiring any attorney, you should investigate the attorney''s reputation and qualifications.

Links. This web site contains links to other resources on the Internet. Those links are provided as citations and aids to help you identify and locate other Internet resources that may be of interest, and are not intended to state or imply that we sponsor or are affiliated or associated with the persons or entities who created such site, nor are the links intended to state or imply that we are legally authorized to use any trade name, registered trademark, logo, legal or official seal, or copyrighted symbol that may be reflected in the links.

E-mail. Viewing this Web site , or transmitting an e-mail message through this Web site, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Sending e-mail to an attorney mentioned in this site does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and the attorney. Unless you are already a client of the attorney, your e-mail may NOT be protected by the attorney-client privilege. Moreover, unless it is encrypted, e-mail can be intercepted by persons other than the recipient. Deadlines are extremely important in most legal matters. You may lose important legal rights if you do not hire an attorney immediately to advise you. Many people do not check their e-mail daily, and some attorneys do not respond to unsolicited e-mail from non-clients.

If you are in need of legal assistance and you are not low-income, please contact your local lawyer referral service or call the State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral Information Service, Mon.-Fri. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-800-252-9690 or 1-877-9TEXBAR.

TexasLawHelp.org is sponsored by our partners: the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the Texas Access to Justice Commission, Legal Services Corporation, Texas Legal Services Center, the Travis County Law Library, and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.