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Parental Responsibility Orders Solicitors

Having parental responsibility for your child is incredibly important. Parental responsibility provides you with the legal right, duty, responsibility, and authority to take certain actions and make decisions concerning your child.

At Glanvilles, we understand the uncertainty and emotional challenges you face when you don’t have parental responsibility. Without parental responsibility, you have no legal rights, meaning you could be prevented from making important decisions, such as where your child will go to school, whether they can move abroad and more.  

Every parent wants to be able to make decisions concerning their child, and parental responsibility gives you this right, duty, power, responsibility and authority over the child. Allowing you to make important decisions in their life, such as where they will go to school, how they will be disciplined and more.

Our team of parental responsibility order solicitors have years of combined experience helping clients navigate some of life’s most daunting situations, including various child law matters. The team are highly skilled and have a broad scope of knowledge in all areas surrounding parental responsibility orders.

When you choose to work with us, you can be confident in receiving a bespoke service tailored specifically to you and your personal circumstances.

Our parental responsibility orders solicitors in Chichester, Fareham and Havant have specialist expertise in matters including:

  • Advice on parental responsibility
  • Drafting a parental responsibility agreement
  • Applying to court for a parental responsibility order

When you contact our team, our solicitors will carefully listen to your situation, making sure to understand exactly the type of assistance you need. From here, we can deliver advice and practical guidance tailored specifically to you.

Get in touch with our parental responsibility order solicitors in Chichester, Fareham and Havant

Contact our expert parental responsibility order solicitors in Chichester, Fareham or Havant, or fill in our simple online enquiry form for a quick response.

The Glanvilles guide to parental responsibility orders

What is parental responsibility?

Parental responsibility refers to the legal rights and responsibilities that a parent has to a child.

Those who have parental responsibility have various responsibilities, including:

  • Providing for the child, e.g. a home, food, clothes, etc.
  • Protecting the child
  • Determining where the child will live
  • Being responsible for disciplining the child, including when and in what manner
  • Making sure the child receives an education
  • Making decisions on medical treatment
  • Making decisions on religious upbringing
  • Naming the child
  • Changing the child’s name
  • The appointment of a guardian. A person with parental responsibility can appoint a Guardian to take over the care and control of their child in the event of the death of all those with parental responsibility
  • Taking the child overseas either on holiday or permanently

This doesn’t have to only be given to the birth parents. Other people are able to obtain parental responsibility, such as step parents and grandparents.

How to get parental responsibility

If you do not have parental responsibility, you can make an agreement with the parent or parents who have parental responsibility by signing a parental responsibility agreement.

There are certain circumstances where the parent(s) may not want you to have parental responsibility for the child in question, meaning they will not agree to sign a parental responsibility agreement. If you are experiencing a situation like this, you can apply to court for a parental responsibility order, where they will make the decision as to whether you are awarded it or not.

Who has parental responsibility?

Birth mothers will automatically be given parental responsibility when the child is born, but whether anyone else will have parental responsibility depends on certain factors.

Someone will generally have parental responsibility if they are:

  • Married to the child’s birth mother
  • Named on the birth certificate (this only applies after a certain date but will depend on where in the UK the child is born)

What rights do step parents have?

When someone with parental responsibility marries or enters into a civil partnership with another person, they will not automatically receive parental responsibility for that child.

It’s common for step parents to play a significant role in a child’s life, particularly where the birth parent has been with them for a considerable amount of time, and they may wish to obtain parental responsibility for the child, but to do this, they will need to enter into an agreement with all the people who have parental responsibility, adopt the child or apply to court for an order.

Can parental responsibility be transferred?

Parental responsibility cannot be transferred to another individual (except with an adoption order), but it can be shared with others.

Can unmarried fathers obtain parental responsibility?

Unmarried fathers will only get parental responsibility if they are named on the child’s birth certificate, the birth mother agrees to sign a parental responsibility, or the court awards the father parental responsibility. 

Do care orders remove parental responsibility?

No, when a care order has been given, it does not remove the parent’s parental responsibility. A care order instead grants the Local Authority parental responsibility in addition. However, the Local Authority’s parental responsibility will override the parents even where there are disagreements. 

Do you get parental responsibility with a child arrangement order?

Yes, when a residence order states the child will live with a specific person, that individual will have parental responsibility for the child until the order comes to an end. This can even be awarded to step parents in limited situations.

What factors will the court consider for a parental responsibility order?

For the court to make a decision that’s in the best interests of the child, there are several factors that they will take into consideration upon making their decision, and these include:

  • The parent’s degree of commitment to their child
  • The state of the relationship between the parent and child, such as a genuine attachment
  • The sound motive for making the application  

How we deal with parental responsibility orders

Advice on parental responsibility

Wondering if you have parental responsibility? Our parental responsibility solicitors can provide simple advice on your rights as a parent and the different options available for you if you do not already have parental responsibility but wish to.

Drafting a parental responsibility agreement

If everyone with parental responsibility for the child agrees to a parental responsibility order, it’s essential to make sure that everything is done efficiently and correctly. The parental responsibility agreement is a prescribed form and must be correctly completed, signed, and registered for it to be effective. A professional will be able to assist with this.

Our parental responsibility agreement solicitors can assist you in drafting an agreement, making sure everything has been done properly so unnecessary delays can be avoided.

Applying to court for a parental responsibility order

If you and the person or people who currently have parental responsibility for the child are unable to agree on a parental responsibility agreement, it can leave you feeling emotional and hopeless about the future, but there are ways to still gain parental responsibility.

Our solicitors are on hand to provide you with expert advice and support, in addition to assisting with applying to the court for a parental responsibility order, presenting evidence to support your application and representing you if needed.

Why choose Glanvilles’ parental responsibility order solicitors?

At Glanvilles, we acknowledge how daunting and stressful child law matters can be, such as parental responsibility. So, when you choose to work with our team of specialist solicitors, your and your child’s best interests will be at the core of everything we do, making sure you and your child’s views are heard and respected.

Our solicitors have years of combined expertise providing parental responsibility guidance to a range of clients, from fathers to grandparents. No matter your situation, we can help.

We are proud to be recognised for our child law expertise, including parental responsibility, by the Law Society Family Law Advanced accreditation.

The Glanvilles’ client service promise

When you use our parental responsibility orders service, we promise:

  • Our staff will be friendly, respectful and attentive.
  • Your concerns will be listened to, your questions answered, and your options explained in plain English.
  • The cost of dealing with your requirements will be made clear to you from the outset.
  • We will answer your phone calls and emails promptly.
  • We will keep you regularly updated at all times.

Get in touch with our expert parental responsibility order solicitors in Chichester, Fareham and Havant

Contact our expert parental responsibility order solicitors in Chichester, Fareham or Havant or fill in our simple online enquiry form for a quick response.