What does the change in the law mean to me?

This will depend on the individual’s situation.

The law has changed so that unmarried fathers who registered or re-registered their name on their child’s birth certificate AFTER 1^st December 2003 will have parental responsibility for their child.

Therefore:

• If an unmarried father has a child after 1^st December 2003 and he is registered on the birth certificate he WILL have parental responsibility.
• If a child was registered before 1^st December 2003 and the father was not named on the birth certificate, then the child can be re-registered to include the father’s name. Once this has been done, the father WILL have parental responsibility.
• If an unmarried father’s name is already on the birth certificate and the child was registered before 1^st December 2003, the law has not changed this situation so the father WILL NOT have parental responsibility. (Unless obtained by other means.)

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