Parental responsibility is a legal concept that encompasses all the rights and responsibilities a parent has towards a child. If Mummy and Daddy both have parental responsibility they should make important decisions for the child jointly. This doesn’t mean that separated parents can have a say in all the day to day arrangements for their child such as what they are having for their tea or whether they go to the park or the cinema; it’s about key decisions for that child such as (but not limited to) schooling, medical treatment and travel.
If an issue arises and as parents, you can’t agree what is best for your child then you could seek mediation to see if you can reach an agreement or you can ask the Family Court to help you by making an application for a specific issue order.
Biological Mother’s automatically have parental responsibility as do Fathers who are married to mum or who are registered on the child’s birth certificate for children born after 1st December 2003. If you don’t have parental responsibility you can obtain it by formal written agreement with Mother or court order.
