Parental Responsibility
When a child is born the mother will automatically require parental responsibility. The father will acquire parental responsibility if his name is placed on the child’s birth certificate or if the parent’s subsequently enter into a Parental Responsibility Agreement.
Parental responsibility means the legal rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority a parent has for a child and the child’s property. A person who has parental responsibility for a child has the right to make decisions about their upbringing. Important decisions in a child’s life must be agreed with anyone else who has parental responsibility.
Examples of important decisions in a child’s life that should have the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility are where a child lives; whether or not a child has medical treatment; which religion a child should follow or what a child should be called.
If you do not have parental responsibility for a child we can help you enter into a parental responsibility agreement or if no agreement can be reached, apply to the Court for parental responsibility.
We can also advise other family members including step parents about obtaining parental responsibility.