Unmarried Couples - Parental Responsibility

The Right to be Responsible For Your Child

An Important Change for Unmarried Couples

The law is changing to make it easier for unmarried fathers to get equal parental responsibility: from 1 December 2003, all that needs to be done is for both parents to register the birth of their baby together.

Parental responsibility for your child gives you important legal rights as well as responsibilities.  Without it, you don't have any right to be involved in decisions such as where they live, their education, religion or medical treatment.  With parental responsibility, you are treated in law as the child's parent, and you take equal responsibility for bringing them up.

Unlike mothers and married fathers, if you are not married to your baby's mother, you do not automatically have parental responsibility for them.

Before this change, you could only gain parental responsibility by later marrying the child's mother, signing an official agreement with the mother, or getting a court order.  You can still get responsibility in these ways - you might want to think about this if you have other children.

If You Need Help to Decide What To Do

Parentline Plus have a free helpline where you can talk through the options and ask for advice.

Contact by Telephone

By ringing 0808 800 2222

Or by Fax

on 0800 783 6783