Parental Responsibility
✓ Expert Parental Responsibility Solicitors.
✓ Quality legal representation and support throughout.
✓ Parental rights, agreements & court applications for parental responsibility.
Parental Responsibility Solicitors Burnley
Issues concerning parental responsibility often bring uncertainty and emotional strain for any parent or guardian. Whether you're facing the impact of a separation, dealing with issues around step-parenting, or simply seeking clarity about your legal rights, understanding where you stand is crucial. With the right guidance, you can make informed decisions that protect your child’s welfare and provide peace of mind.
At Farnworth Rose, we bring decades of experience supporting families with all aspects of parental responsibility. Trusted by parents across Lancashire and beyond, our team offers calm, expert advice grounded in a wealth of experience in associated legislation. We work with mothers, fathers, step-parents, same-sex partners, guardians and extended family members, providing clear and compassionate guidance every step of the way.
From helping you obtain parental responsibility to representing you in disputes over education, healthcare or relocation, our role is to reduce stress and provide practical solutions. We will ensure your rights are recognised, your obligations are clearly understood, and your child’s best interests remain at the heart of every decision.
To speak with one of our Child Abduction Lawyers in Burnley, call us today on 01282 695 400 or complete the enquiry form below. We’re ready to help you find the right path forward.
Why Choose Farnworth Rose for Parental Responsibility Matters?
When you choose Farnworth Rose, you gain access to a dedicated legal team with exceptional knowledge of family law, court procedures, and parental rights.
We understand how complex family dynamics can be, particularly when decisions about your child’s upbringing are at stake. Whether you’re seeking formal recognition of your role as a parent, responding to a dispute over a key decision, or involved in a surrogacy or same-sex parenting arrangement, we offer clear, compassionate support throughout.
Our approach is always tailored to your situation. We will listen carefully to your concerns, help define your goals, and provide practical legal options that are in your child’s best interests. We pride ourselves on delivering straightforward, timely advice with total transparency on fees and timescales.
Above all, our promise is to be available when you need us, responsive, honest, and always focused on securing the best possible outcome for your family.
Meet the Team
How Can We Help with Parental Responsibility?
At Farnworth Rose, we assist parents, step-parents, guardians, and extended family members in all aspects of obtaining, exercising or challenging parental responsibility.
Disputes Between Parents
When two or more people share parental responsibility, disagreements can sometimes occur. Common areas of conflict include medical decisions, changing schools, or relocating the child abroad.
We can support you in resolving these issues through negotiation or mediation. Where necessary, we will assist you in applying for:
Specific Issue Orders – to resolve a particular dispute (e.g. school choice)
Prohibited Steps Orders – to prevent an action by another person with parental responsibility
In most cases, you must attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) before applying to court.
The Court’s Approach
In any case involving parental responsibility, the court applies the welfare principle. This means the child’s wellbeing is always the top priority. Judges consider a range of factors, including:
The child’s wishes and feelings (appropriate to age)
Their physical and emotional needs
The likely impact of any changes
Each party’s ability to meet the child’s needs
Any risk of harm
We will always present your case with care and clarity, focused on achieving the most stable and supportive outcome for your child.
Frequently Asked Questions for Parental Responsibility
+ What is parental responsibility?
Parental responsibility means having the legal right and duty to make important decisions about a child’s life, such as where they live, go to school, receive medical care, and other key matters. It also includes the obligation to care for and protect the child. More than one person can have parental responsibility, and it can be given automatically or through a legal process depending on your situation.
+ Who automatically has parental responsibility?
Parental responsibility is automatically given to the child’s birth mother, married fathers, and unmarried fathers named on the birth certificate after 1 December 2003. It is also granted to adoptive parents, intended parents in surrogacy (after a Parental Order), special guardians, local authorities under a full care order, and anyone named in a live-in Child Arrangements Order.
+ What is a Parental Responsibility Agreement?
A Parental Responsibility Agreement is a legal document signed by both parents and witnessed in court, giving the father or another party parental responsibility without the need for a full court hearing.
+ How do you Obtain Parental Responsibility?
If you do not automatically have parental responsibility, there are several legal routes available to obtain it. You may enter into a Parental Responsibility Agreement with the child’s mother, or apply to the court under section 4 of the Children Act 1989. Parental responsibility can also be granted by being named in a Child Arrangements Order, or through adoption, which transfers all parental rights to the adoptive parents. Step-parents and civil partners can apply to the court for parental responsibility, and in same-sex or assisted reproduction cases, legal parenthood may be established through civil partnership, formal agreements, or parenthood orders under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008.
+ What happens if parents can’t agree on an important decision?
If mediation fails, either parent can apply to the court for a Specific Issue Order or a Prohibited Steps Order to resolve the dispute legally.
+ Do step-parents have automatic parental responsibility?
No. Step-parents must acquire parental responsibility through agreement or court order. We can assist you with this process and explain your rights in blended families.
+ How is Relocation and International Travel affected?
If you share parental responsibility, you cannot take the child abroad without written consent from all other holders or a court order. Short holidays of up to 28 days are permitted if you are named in a Child Arrangements Order as the resident parent. Longer removals without consent may be classed as child abduction.
+ Can Parental Responsibility be Terminated or Restricted?
Parental responsibility usually continues until the child turns 18. It can only be removed or limited by a court or through adoption. The court will only make such an order if it is absolutely necessary to protect the child’s welfare. While certain responsibilities can be delegated to schools, carers or authorities, the legal holder retains ultimate responsibility for key decisions.
Contact Our Parental Responsibility Solicitors in Burnley
Understanding and managing parental responsibility can be a complex and sensitive matter, but you do not have to face it alone.
Our Child Law Solicitors are committed to providing exceptional levels of client care and will work closely, considerately and strategically with you to help you find the best solutions to whatever challenges you face.
Our record of achievement and depth of experience make us the leading parental responsibility solicitors in Burnley. We regularly help clients with parental responsibility and children law matters in Preston, Manchester, Blackburn, Rochdale and Bolton, as well as across the Pennines in Bradford, Huddersfield, Skipton, Keighley and beyond.
To speak with one of our specialist Child Law Solicitors at Farnworth Rose, call us now on 01282 695 400 or complete the form below, and we’ll be in touch to help you take the next step with clarity and confidence.
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