Parental Responsibility
If you’re married parents or the unmarried mother of a child, you will have parental responsibility for your child. You will also have parental responsibility if you’re the father of a child born after 1 December 2003 and your name is on the birth certificate, or if you’ve signed a parental responsibility agreement.
What is Parental Responsibility?
If you have parental responsibility, you have the rights and responsibilities for making the important decisions in a child’s life, be it in relation to their education, religious upbringing, medical treatment or place of residence.
You don’t give up parental responsibility if you separate, divorce or dissolve a civil partnership.
If you don’t have parental responsibility we would help you to try and reach an agreement with the other parent. If an agreement for you to have parental responsibility is reached, we will draft the necessary agreement. If you can’t reach an agreement, our expert family lawyers in Chester and Shrewsbury can make an application to court on your behalf.
 | Richard Barge Partner & Head of Family Law |
 | Lorraine Saunders Family Law Partner |
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