What is parental responsibility?
What is parental responsibility?
Parental responsibility is the legal term used to describe the collective rights and duties a parent has in relation to their child. It is defined under Section 3 of the Children Act 1989 as-
“all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property”
Having parental responsibility for a child means you have the legal right to be consulted on their education, health and general welfare as well as having a duty to care for and protect them.
While mothers automatically acquire parental responsibility for their children at birth, that isn’t necessarily the case for fathers. Whether a father has parental responsibility for his child is dependent on where in the UK the child was born, when the child’s birth was registered and whether the mother and father are married. (please see Who has parental responsibility? for more information).
To change a child’s name you must have consent from everyone that holds parental responsibility for the child.
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The first step in legally changing a child’s name is to obtain consent from everyone with parental responsibility for the child. This means that you should have a letter
What is parental responsibility?
Parental responsibility is the legal term used to describe the collective rights and duties a parent has in relation to their child. It is defined under Section 3 of the Children Act
Who has parental responsibility for my child?
The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, including-
Can I change my child’s name without full parental consent?
As a rule you must have permission from everyone that has parental responsibility for a child in order to legally change the child’s
Can a birth certificate be updated?
As a general rule you can not get the name on a child’s birth certificate changed because a birth certificate is considered a historical document, not proof of identity, and therefore
Letters of consent examples and templates
Once you have executed a deed poll on your child’s behalf you must inform everyone
Need additional help or advice?
If you have any questions about changing a child’s name we can offer free help and advice. Just call 020 8150 2010, send an e-mail to enquiries@deedpolls.com.