Parental Responsibility are the legal rights and responsibilities you have as a parent for your child(ren). It is defined in law as all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property. In reality, it gives the parent responsibility for taking all the important decisions in a child’s life such as:
- where the child lives
- living abroad
- how they are educated
- medical treatment
- religion
- travel
Parental responsibility is shared jointly between all married parents, even after a divorce. Unmarried fathers can acquire parental responsibility for each child either by:
- a parental responsibility agreement with the mother of each child; or
- by order of the court; or
- if the father’s name is on the birth certificate of the child (for births registered or re-registered post 1 December 2003)
If the father does not have parental responsibility, the mother automatically has full parental responsibility. A father can in certain circumstances acquire parental responsibility for a child.
If you do not have parental responsibility and you want to play a role and have an input into your child(ren)'s life you will want to acquire it. We can assist you in relation to obtaining a parental responsibility agreement or applying to the Court for an Order. We offer an initial call with one of our representatives in order to assess whether we are able to assist you and to discuss anticipated fees for our services.
Want to talk? Our Family Law Clinics are held once a month and offer complimentary 20-minute appointments. Find out if you could benefit.
If you would like to speak to our expert legal team about this, or any related subject then please contact our team by phone on 0207 936 6329, Email or by completing our Quick Contact Form below.
