Getting parental responsibility

Parental responsibility is, in simple terms, making choices for our children until they are old enough to make decisions by themselves.

Examples include:

These parental duties should be a joint effort between the mother and father, unless there is an emergency (for example, life-saving surgery) and a decision must be made quickly.

Mothers always have parental responsibility for their children and only adoption can take it away. Fathers automatically share parental responsibility if they are or have been married to the child’s mother or their name appears on the child’s birth certificate during registration or re-registration of the birth. However, in reality, the unmarried father will not be able to register his name without the consent of the mother.

If a choice is made for your children without your consent, or you are looking to gain parental responsibilities for your child, you should seek legal advice. Our specialist family law solicitors have assisted in many cases involving serious disagreements amongst parents.

In most cases, it is fathers not married to the mother of their child and step-parents who request legal parental responsibilities. However, a person who is not a parent of the child can also apply for parental responsibility.

Our expert solicitors are dedicated to providing one-on-one support during the process of applying for parental responsibility, including providing advice on parental responsibility agreements, registering on a birth certificate and child arrangements orders.

We will guide you through proceedings, offering guidance and support along the way to ensure you fully understand what’s happening, what your rights are and what the progress of your application is. We understand how important it is to be legally responsible for your child and will handle all matters with the care they deserve.

If you require assistance in applying for parental responsibility, contact us on 0333 323 5292 or fill in the enquiry form on this page and we will get back to you shortly.