Legal Aid of West Virginia developed these videos to provide information about how to fill out forms for custody cases in West Virginia.  These videos cover:

• Establishing a Custody Order– If you do not already have a court-approved custody order, you will need to fill out the form called “Petition for Support and/or Allocation of Custodial Responsibility.”  For more information on custody, read our Custody Toolkit. 
• Modification of a Custody Order– If you want to change a court-approved custody order, you will need to fill out the form called “Petition for Modification.” For more information about when you can file for modification, read this article on Custody Modification. 

In both kinds of custody cases, you will also need to fill out and file these forms:

1. Parenting Plan;
2. Worksheet for Individual Proposed Parenting Plan;
3. BCSE Application and Income Withholding form;
4. Civil Case Information Sheet; and 
5. in most custody cases, the Financial Statement form.  (If you are asking that child support be awarded or changed as part of the custody case.)

You can find these forms on the West Virginia Judiciary’s website.  Or you can get them from the Circuit Clerk’s office in your county. These videos will walk you through each of these forms, page-by-page, to provide you with information on how to fill them out. 

How to Fill out the Petition for Allocation of Custodial Responsibility (use if there is no other custody order) 

How to Fill out the Petition for Modification (only use if you are asking to change a court-approved custody order) 

How to Fill out the Parenting Plan 

How to Fill out the Worksheet for Individual Proposed Parenting Plan   

How to Fill out the Bureau for Child Support Enforcement Form

NOTE:  This video is part of our Divorce Video Series, but it is the same form you will file in a custody case to request services from BCSE.

How to fill out the Civil Case Information Sheet (Petitioner and Respondent) 

NOTE: This video is part of our Divorce Video Series, but it is the same form you will file in a custody case.  There is one difference.  On Question 2. Type of Case Relief, you will mark Child Custody without Divorce OR Modification, instead of Divorce.

How to Fill out the Financial Statement Form 

NOTE: This video is part of our Divorce Video Series, but it is the same form you may need to file in a custody case.  There may be a few pages you do not need to fill out for a custody case, like the pages about property, debts and spousal support.   

How to Fill out the Fee Waiver Form 

NOTE:  This video is part of our Divorce Video Series, but it is the same form you will file in a custody case to see if you qualify to have fees waived in your case.