I have an 8 year old son, and he hasn't seen or spoken with his dad in over a year. He moved out of the state we live in two years ago, but still sends monthly checks to support my son. But he never puts in any effort to contact him. No birthday cards, holiday gifts, not even phone calls just to say a quick "hi". When my son tries to reach out, he ignores the calls. If it matters, we also have no contact with his father's family, either.

My question is, how do I go about filing custody against an absent parent? I'm low income, so I can't afford a lawyer. His last name is on the birth certificate, but my son has expressed that he doesn't want to keep his father's last name and wants to change it to mine (I'm unmarried, so obviously he'd be taking my maiden name, if that helps). The child support he pays isn't court ordered, it's just an amount we agreed upon. I'm not concerned with increasing the amount or anything, it works fine but I'd also like that to be put into writing as well.

I'm just not sure where to start with this, so any advice, similar experiences, resources, etc will be appreciated! Also, I live in Louisiana, if it helps.