unwed father wants to help raise daughter

(Kansas) Man gets woman pregnant, both aknowledge him as father. Man helps woman finanically through entire pregnancy (house and car notes, utilities, groceries, what ever she asked for. After all, she is carrying his first child, he's ecstatic.) Woman gives birth to girl, doesn't call father, because, she told father's family: "I didn't think he would want to be there." Woman refuses to put father's name on birth certificate. First few months, father continues to help woman financially, because she has been fired from several jobs over the past year. Father is served with papers, demand for child support. Waives paternity test and sets up child support to be deducted from his weekly check and sent to woman. Woman still refuses to add father to birth certificate. Father babysits anytime asked, and he is probably asked once a week or so. Doesn't sound so bad, right? Problem:

Father's visitation is completely at the mother's whim. If she gets mad at him for any reason, she doesn't allow him to come over. She doesn't "trust" him to care for the baby, thus he is not allowed to take her from the mother's home, for any reason. But, he is trustworthy enough to come to her house to babysit. Next, his credit report, shows that he was behind on child support payments. The child was a couple of months old when he was served with papers and he accepted all resposibility, then was hit with back child support and a negative credit entry, why? He does anything that the mother asks of him, because he is afraid that she will get mad and not let him visit his daughter. And she does get mad at him over insignificant things and restricts his visitation. Thus, there is tension between them, but he had to be nice so he can continue to visit.

Can he have the child support adjusted now that she makes as much money as him? And get his credit report cleaned up, he was never late. He was helping her financially long before she ever files child support papers. He asked to have the money deducted from his check and sent direct to her, so that there would never be a late support payment. He wants to ths child to have the money.

She went through child services to get child support from him, which cost her little or no money. Is there an agency to help him get his name on the birth certificate and custody and visitation rights?

Can the rest of the family have our own visitation schedule separate from the father's?

[LegalBeagle]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by sad sister:
[BCan the rest of the family have our own visitation schedule separate from the father's?
[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No, the rest of the family has little, if any, legal standing and are highly unlikely to get any sort of visitation.

The father needs to petition the court to get proper custody & vistation set up. Until the child is two it might be tricky to get overnight visitation but his current visitation and looking after the child when the mother is out will add to his case.