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The law and your children

Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility was a new concept introduced by the Children Act 1989. Before this law parents had rights over children. Now the emphasis is on parents having responsibility for them.

The law says that parental responsibility means "all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent has in relation to the child and his property".

A person with parental responsibility cannot surrender or transfer it unless the child is adopted.

Downloads

The following downloads provide further useful guidance.

Parental responsibility
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