Parental Responsibility

Mothers and most fathers have legal rights and oblidations as a parent. This is what is known as "Parental Responsibility" (PR) Generally PR includes providing a home for the child and protecting and looking after them but it also extends to agreeing to medical treatment, identifying and choosing the childs education, disciplining the child and naming them.

PR is automatic for the mother but the father will usually only have PR if they are married to the mother when the child is born or they listed on the child's birth certificate (the period for this is different depending on what part of the UK you live).

There are three ways for an unmarried father to obtain parental responsibility:

a. Jointly register the birth of the child with the mother. This can be done at the time of the child's birth, or at any time afterwards.

b. Enter into a parental responsibility agreement with the mother. This is a written agreement between the father and the mother that gives the father parental responsibility.

c. Apply to the court for a parental responsibility order. This is a court order that gives the father parental responsibility.