Can Individuals other than Parents

Acquire Parental Responsibility?

Only a child's biological parents are automatically bestowed parental responsibility; and even then the father only does so if married to the mother.

Even if an individual factually cares for a child - a new partner, a grandparent, a step-parent, etc. - they have no automatic right of responsibility. There are, however, a number of ways thay can be granted it:

• Being appointed guardian should those with parental responsibility die;
• Obtaining a residence order;
• Being granted a special guardianship order by the court;
• Adopting the child.

Local authorities can be granted a care order for the child, giving them a share in parental responsibility with the parents; though such a care order, where issued in the interest of the child, actually grants responsibility to the local authority above and beyond that of the parents.

Should a residence order be in place, a grandparent can aquire parental responsibility; but, again, shared with the parents.

A special guardian can also be appointed for the child; again, this does not remove the parents' responsibility, but the special guardian does have authority to exercise that authority to the exclusion of the birth parents.

Should a child undergo adoption, parental responsibility is transferred from the biological parents to the adoptive parents; the parents' rights being extinguished in this instance.

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