What Is Parental Responsibility? Understanding Your Rights

Do you know your parental responsibilities and rights? Family Law specialist Christina Blacklaws breaks down the main responsibilities of a parent and how a step-parent can legally gain them too.
All mothers and most fathers have legal rights and responsibilities as a parent - known as ‘parental responsibility’.
If you have parental responsibility, your most important roles are to:
provide a home for the child
protect and maintain the child
You’re also responsible for:
- disciplining the child
- choosing and providing for the child’s education
- agreeing to the child’s medical treatment
- naming the child and agreeing to any change of name
- looking after the child’s property
Parents have to ensure that their child is supported financially, whether they have parental responsibility or not.
A step-parent can gain these responsibilities through a step parental responsibility agreement or through a court order, as can same-sex parents if they aren’t in a civil partnership when the child is born. If they are civil partners, both will automatically have parental responsibility.
If you’re curious about who has parental responsibility and how to apply for it, visit: www.gov.uk/par...
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