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Your Children Matter
Parental Responsibilities - Who has them?
- So now let's sort out who has these responsibilities?
Children live in all kinds of different families these days. Sometimes parents are married, sometimes not. Some children live with only one of their parents or they live with a step-parent. How do we decide who has parental responsibilities and rights?
1 So let's think about Louise Stewart at No.1 - Her mum, Mary, and dad, Joe, are married so they each have responsibilities and rights for her. Because Louise is a child born to them and they are married to each other, they each have parental responsibilities and rights automatically. |  |
2 Now what about Donna Jones at No.2?- Her mum, Alison, and dad, Derek, are not married - so only her mum has legal parental responsibilities and rights for her. Her dad, though, will be expected to provide for her financially and to see that she goes to school. | Find out how Derek could get parental responsibilities for Donna. |
3 Here's Iain Reilly at No.3 - His mum, Fiona, is married to Bob, who isn't his dad. Andy, his dad, lives on his own in another town. So his mum has parental responsibilities and rights for him - but her new husband doesn't - though if they are living together as a family, his stepfather will be expected to provide financially for him and to see he goes to school. | 
Find out how Bob could get legal responsibilities for Iain.
Where that leaves Andy. |
5 Take Margaret Brown - No.5 She lives with her Auntie Cath and Uncle Dave who look after her because her father, John, works on the oil rigs and her mother, Ann, has gone to London with a new boyfriend. Her aunt and uncle don't have parental responsibilities and rights for her but her parents still do. | 
More about Margaret's situation. |
6 Gary McEwen - What's his situation at No.6 ?- He lives alone with his mum, Doreen. She has parental responsibilities and rights for him. Even though Jim, Gary's dad lives with someone else, he still has the same responsibilities and rights for Gary as his mum, because they have been married. | 
Follow Gary's story. |
- So let's be clear about who has parental
responsibilities and rights. - People who have parental responsibilities are:
- All mothers
- All fathers who are or have been married to the mothers of their children
- All fathers who have signed and registered a Parental Responsibilities and Parental Rights Agreement ( see here )
- All guardians
BUT - A court can take responsibilities away from anyone or give them to anyone AND - All parents have the responsibility to provide financially for their children and to educate them, even if they have never been married. |
How other people can get parental responsibilities and rights.
Of course you can look after a child without having parental responsibilities and rights. But if legal issues arise, you may find that you are not treated in the same way as someone who has. So if you don't have legal parental responsibilities for a child, maybe you should think about getting them. If you do have them, it's worth thinking about making arrangements for someone to be your child's guardian if you die.
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