Parental responsibility applications

20 October 2025 | Child Law Services |

Having parental responsibility means you have the right to be included in decisions about your child’s upbringing, so this is often a key issue in disputes over children. While a child’s birth mother will always have parental responsibility, any other parents may or may not, depending on the circumstances.

Our child law solicitors can help you to establish whether you already have parental responsibility and guide you through securing it where you do not. While it is often possible to get parental responsibility through a private agreement with the child’s birth mother (and anyone else with parental responsibility), we can also advise you on applying to a court for a Parental Responsibility Order where necessary.