The Louisiana Paternity Establishment Program (LAPEP) strives to ensure that all unmarried parents have the information necessary to make a positive choice for their child. To achieve this goal, we make it our mission to develop and grow partnerships with agencies and organizations throughout Louisiana who provide services to unmarried parents before, during, and after the birth of their child.

Together we can provide parents with the necessary information to understand and make an informed decision about establishing paternity. If you are interested in partnering with LAPEP or have questions, please contract our Outreach Counselor at 866.430.9569. 

Hospital and birthing center staff play an important role in helping unmarried parents establish paternity. Both federal and state laws require hospitals to provide unmarried parents with the information and forms necessary to acknowledge paternity voluntarily, as well as to have trained staff on hand to answer their questions. LAPEP supports and works closely with each hospital and birthing center in Louisiana to ensure these facilities are equipped to assist unmarried parents with establishing paternity.

Since 2006, LAPEP has partnered with over 400 organizations and providers in Louisiana. We work together with pregnancy centers, OB/GYNs, midwives, fatherhood programs, health clinics, early child development programs, re-entry programs, and many more programs that work with unmarried parents both before and after the child’s birth. These key partners help us educate and prepare unmarried parents before they arrive at the hospital and afterwards if they were unable to establish paternity at the hospital. 

LAPEP collaborates with other agencies such as the Vital Record Registry, Department of Health, Child Support Enforcement, WIC, and legal services to promote awareness of paternity establishment. Our goal is to ensure families have access to all available options and resources, no matter where they turn for that information. To that end, we partner with public agencies to share information about paternity, make them aware of our services, and provide referrals − connecting parents with the resources and support they need, whether that’s getting information about genetic testing, completing an AOP, or requesting a birth certificate.