Contact Brendan Fleming Solicitors by emailing info@brendanfleming.co.uk or by calling 0800 999 1408

Parental Responsibility

Child Arrangement Order


What is Parental Responsibility?

Parental Responsibility gives parents (and others) certain rights, responsibilities and duties relating to a child’s upbringing, including:

  • Religion
  • Education
  • Changing a child’s surname
  • Removing a child from England & Wales
  • Agreement to adoption
  • Consent to marriage
  • Medical treatment
  • Discipline
  • Appointment of a guardian
 

How does the father of a child acquire Parental Responsibility?

The mother of a child has Parental Responsibility automatically. The father of a child also has Parental Responsibility automatically if he is married to the mother at the time of the birth. If the parents are not married at the time the child is born, the father can acquire Parental Responsibility as follows:

  • If he marries the mother
  • If he is named on the birth certificate (if the child was born after 1
  • December 2003)
  • If the mother agrees to a Parental Responsibility Agreement
  • If he applies to the Court and obtains a Parental Responsibility Order
  • If he applies to the Court and obtains a Residence Order
  • If he is appointed the child’s guardian by the mother or the Court
 

What about step-parents?

Step-parents do not automatically acquire Parental Responsibility for step-children when they marry and so cannot make important decisions about a child’s welfare, for example medical care. Step-parents can only acquire Parental Responsibility by obtaining an Order of the Court or by signing a Step-parent Parental Responsibility Agreement along with those who already have Parental Responsibility. 

What about grandparents?

A grandparent cannot be granted Parental Responsibility by the parents of a child in the same way as a step-parent, even though the child may live with the grandparent. This may cause difficulties for the grandparent if they need to deal with the child’s GP or school. The only way to get Parental Responsibility is to apply for a Court order, which would generally be obtained along with a Residence Order or a Special Guardianship Order. Find out more about grandparent’s right

We give the best service as we have the best people.

Please do not delay in contacting the Child Arrangement Unit at Brendan Fleming as we need to move quickly to ensure we can start representing you with no delay. The quicker we are instructed, the quicker we can start helping you.

Don't just take our word for it, hear from our happy clients

“I am very pleased with Brendan. He doesn’t fail you at all. You walk out of there more than happy. I am quite a nervous person but, with the way that Brendan is, I always feels so more assured. Gemma was brilliant as well.” – Mrs W.

“In two words, I can describe Brendan Fleming Solicitors: absolutely brilliant. I was so scared at first at seeing a solicitor, but Brendan is such a brilliant guy. I didn’t expect someone who was so down to earth. I was made to feel comfortable. I cant thank Brendan Fleming Solicitors enough for seeing me so soon. The weight of the world really has been lifted from my shoulder.” – Scarlette

“Brendan was fantastic! I found him to be very understanding about the whole situation. I was really worried before I went to see Brendan, but I found him very helpful and am pleased with him.” – Ms T.

“I’m very grateful for all the support you gave and for believing in me. Within two minutes of my contacting Brendan, I was booked in to see him that very same day. You are great people. Just ‘Thank you’ will never be enough.” – Rushell

“The advice was really good and Brendan was very polite. I feel a lot better in myself and more reassured after my appointment with him.” – Miss E.

“I found the appointment to be really good and am very confident with Brendan.” – Mr L.

“I am really happy with how the appointment went. I was unsure to begin with whether or not I should get legal advice from a solicitor; but after my appointment with Brendan I feel that I have definitely done the right thing. Brendan has given me exactly the advice I needed.” – Ms D.

“Brendan has been absolutely brilliant. Really helpful during this difficult time and did everything he possibly could to make sure we had the best possible outcome on the day. In short, fantastic.” – Jason

“It was good. When arriving for the appointment, everyone was very welcoming. When speaking with Brendan, everything was well explained and everything was made clearer and everything he said, I agreed with. Going by the service so far, Brendan Flemings is a firm that I will definitely be recommending!” – Mr S.

“I received all the information I needed and more. Brendan was straight to the point. Seeing Brendan was fast, invaluable and I didn’t expect to get quite that much information for such a good cost!” – Louise

“More was done in one appointment with Brendan than my previous solicitors did in nine.” – Jonathan

“Brendan was straight to the point. I liked the fact that he was genuinely concerned about the costs to the client and, unlike other solicitors, didn’t just want to just take money for anything he could.” – Mr B.

“How can you improve on perfection? You could not, and would not, find a better solicitor anywhere in Birmingham. Samantha – this was a very hard time for me but, with your help and support I feel it was dealt with in the most comfortable manner possible Please continue what you are doing. It’s a great service and good support. Thank you.” – Geeta

“I was really impressed. I already knew about the reputation of Brendan Fleming and I am really happy with the service and how things have gone so far. I was particularly impressed with how quickly the letters went out and it has made me feel quite empowered!” – Ms M.

“The appointment with Brendan was good and all the advice given was great. I feel a lot better now that I have had legal advice and feel happy that I have people to support me: prior to coming to Brendan Flemings, I didn’t feel as though I had any support. I am very happy overall.” – Ms B.

“Brendan is brilliant, really good. He got me the result I wanted and continues to support me.” – Gary

“The appointment went very well. Brendan explained everything, so I feel that I have a better understanding of what’s going on with my case. I would definitely recommend the firm to others.” – Ms W.

“Really, really excellent, I had bad experiences with other solicitors which knocked my confidence but Brendan has restored my confidence so much so I recommended my friend to Brendan Fleming Solicitors.” – Joanne

“Very happy. Brendan was very good and very informative. I found him easy to talk to and to understand; he didn’t use confusing jargon. Brendan is the best solicitor I have ever met and I would definitely recommend him to other people.” – Lisa

“Excellent! Very impressed with getting an appointment so quickly and all the staff I dealt with were great.” – Chantelle

“I received so much help and advice in such a short space of time. I’ve since been given lots of support and feel relieved. Thank you.” – Primrose

“If I ever needed a solicitor again, I would want Brendan in my corner.” – A.C.

 “A very friendly and professional solicitor. I feel as though I am in safe hands.” – Amjad

We are also honoured to have received high praise from Barrister's over the years.

Finally, let us leave you with our Ten Commandments about the most important people at Brendan Fleming Solicitors - YOU.

CONTACT US

Email: info@brendanfleming.co.uk
Telephone: 0800 999 1408

165 Newhall Street
St. Paul’s Square
Birmingham B3 1SW

The quicker we are instructed, the quicker we can help you.

We give the best service as we've got the best people.