Who has Parental Responsibility?

Parental Responsibility means having all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authorities which, by law, a parent of a child has in relation to the child and their property.  Certain important decisions in a child’s life require consent of all those who have Parental Responsibility.  These include decisions such as naming a child, providing a home for a child and choosing a religion to follow and the education for a child.

Mothers immediately acquire Parental Responsibility.  Fathers acquire Parental Responsibility if they are married to the mother, named on the birth certificate or through an application to the court.

Where two parents with Parental Responsibility cannot agree on a particular decision, they can apply to the court for a Specific Issue Order to be made.  This will determine the outcome of the contested decision on their behalf.  A Prohibited Steps Order could also be made.  This would stop a parent from doing something in particular.  For example, it could stop a parent from removing a child from the country for a twelve week holiday.

If you wish to book in for an initial consultation to discuss your case, our family solicitors are based in both Wolverhampton and Cradley Heath and serve clients across the West Midlands. For all new enquiries, please call 01902 328 355 or complete our online enquiry form and a member of our team will respond.