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Who has the right to say what should happen with the children?
1
It is the person or persons with ‘Parental Responsibility’ – they are the only ones who can make decisions that affect the child(ren) .
As a guide;
- The natural mother will always have Parental Responsibility – unless they lose this right through adoption
- The natural father has Parental Responsibility if he is named on the child's birth certificate (for births registered from 1 December 2003)
- A step-parent who is married to or in a Civil Partnership with a natural parent with Parental Responsibility – the step-parent can gain Parental Responsibility either by agreement or through the courts
- On adoption, adoptive parents acquire Parental Responsibility
- Any other adult with whom the child lives and where the court has already made an order about the child's living arrangements (known as a residence order) – they automatically have Parental Responsibility
Frequently asked questions
- Can I get Parental Responsibility?
- Do I even need a lawyer?
- Do I have to go to court over the arrangements for the children?
- Does the child get a say in what happens?
- What about Legal Aid?
- What does Parental Responsibility mean?
- What if there are 2 of us allowed to make decisions and we cannot agree what is best for the child?
- What is Collaborative Law - could it help with the arrangements for the children?
- What is family mediation and how can it help with the arrangements for the children?
- What orders can a court make when sorting out the arrangements for children?
- What will it cost?
- Who has the right to say what should happen with the children?
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