Sunday marks Father’s Day, a day recognised throughout the UK and beyond to celebrate fathers, father figures and even grandfathers for their support and kindness.
However, for many dads, days like today can be a painful reminder of a separation or divorce, especially if they are unable to see their children. If you are in this situation, do you know what your legal rights are?
What is Parental Responsibility?
Parental responsibility refers to a parent’s responsibilities and obligations towards their children. This would include protecting your child and providing them with a home. It would also include decision making for your child, for example, decisions regarding medical treatment and the provision of education.
Who has Parental Responsibility?
The law dictates that the mother automatically has Parental Responsibility for her child from birth. The father will automatically share Parental Responsibility if he’s married to the child’s mother, or named on the birth certificate if his child is born after 1 December 2003, whether or not he is married to the child’s mother. It is also possible to share this by way of agreement or through a Court Order.
What happens if you are stopped from seeing your child?
There are options to assist you if you are being prevented from spending time with your child. In the vast majority of circumstances, it will be necessary to attempt to resolve such an issue by way of mediation but where this is not appropriate or is unsuccessful it may be possible to apply to the Court for an Order to put an obligation on the mother to make the child available.
Whatever the situation you find yourself in, it’s important to know your legal rights. If you need advice or want to learn more about your options, get in touch with our team of family law experts. We’re here to help you find the best solution for your family.
Please contact us at our website or call us on 01702 332 311.