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The Children Act 1989/2004
Parental responsibility
The Children Act 1989/2004
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Parental Responsibility and the law surrounding this fundamental concept has been at the forefront of much consideration since its enactment in the Children Act 1989. Although the 21st century has been subjected to significant changes in relation to family law, there is still much controversy surrounding the standing of the unmarried father and the rights and responsibilities obtainable to him when it comes to his child. The focus of the essay is to critically analyse the current law surrounding parental responsibility in particular it will include a detailed discussion on whether the law should be adapted to automatically allocate parental responsibility to all fathers irrespective of their marital status. The current law in England and Wales …show more content…
The definition indicates that unless a person is in possession of parental responsibility they will have no authority over a child and as a result will be unable to exercise any rights when it comes to making and being consulted about important decisions regarding the welfare and upbringing. It is for this reason that problems can arise as not all parents are automatically awarded equal parental responsibility regardless of whether they are a legal parent. As the law currently stands, automatic parental responsibility is only granted to the birth mother , irrespective of whether she is married to the father of her child or not, and to the father who is married to the mother of his child at the time of the birth . The unmarried father on the other hand, has other provisions available to him in order for him to obtain his parental responsibility over the child these are contained in Section 4 of Children Act 1989. The first option available to him would be to marry the mother of his child. If this was to happen, the father would gain parental responsibility from the date of the marriage. Secondly, if the unmarried father registers as the father of the child alongside the mother he will acquire parental responsibility. This provision wasn’t included in the original legislation and was implemented on the 1st December 2003 therefore it only applies to registrations on or after this date. The first two options mentioned are only available to the unmarried father with the agreement of the mother. Thirdly, the mother and father of the child can make a ‘parental responsibility agreement’ which allows him to have parental
The woman who conceives, carries and gives birth to the child is called the surrogate mother. There are two types of surrogacy: traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. Traditional surrogacy involves the sperm from the intended father (also known as the sperm donor) and the egg of the surrogate mother. Therefore, in this case, the surrogate mother is the genetic mother of the child. The second type is gestational surrogacy. Gestational surrogacy involves the extraction of the egg from the intended mother, and the transfer of the embryo into the surrogate’s uterus. This means that the surrogate mother is not genetically related to the child. Within the two types of surrogacy, there are two types of surrogacy arrangements: altruistic (non-commercial) and commercial. Under the Surrogacy Act 2010 (Qld), a commercial surrogacy arrangement is when a person receives payment, reward, or other material benefit or advantage for entering into the surrogacy arrange...
Children used to be considered to be the property of their fathers. This dates back to the Roman times as well as in English common law. The fathers had the rights to sell the children, had the right to enter them into enforced labor. However, he also had the legal obligation to educate, support and protect his children. Basically fathers had all the rights to the children, and the mothers had none. Thus, in divorce, the father had absolute right to custody.
In the United States today more than one-half of all marriages end in divorce. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reason why women have typically received custody of the children far more often than the fathers. In order to better understand child custody one must first examine how fathers have often times been left out of the picture, and conversely why mothers have had such hard times raising children on their own. This paper will first examine the perspective of a father who has lost custody of his children.
In this day and age there are many variations of what constitutes a couple or family in comparison to many years ago. Long ago the idea of a ‘nuclear family’ was considered the norm; it consisted of the conventional husband, wife and children . But as our society progressed through the years this definition became less conventional and criticisms were made, this definition of ‘family’ did not account for gay unions, soul parents nor did it acknowledge the prevalence of extended family. The definition of family has changed over time, as have the socially defined roles of mothers and fathers. Within these varied family units, situations occur in which divorces and separations take place and a lot of the times these tricky situations may involve children, which can make an already tricky situation even more problematic. There are pieces of legislation which are in place which aim to protect the best interests of a child during the time their parents are going through divorce but sometimes these avenues can be more problematic and ultimately destroy unions whereas other avenues of dispute resolution such as mediation, albeit with its own criticisms, helps to keep relationships afoot in that it provides an opportunity for peaceful and mutual agreements to be made in a more laid back environment.
In the essay Licensing Parents, LaFollette argues that the state should require all parents to be licensed (182). Though LaFollette considers some theoretical and practical objections to his claim, he gives no particular attention to how parenting could be precisely defined as potentially harmful to children, what specific competence would be required for parenting to be done safely, and how reliably such competence could be determined. In this paper, I maintain that, since LaFollette’s argument does not provide an adequate clarification of the definition of harm and the attributes of competence, his argument needs serious revision. After describing LaFollette’s basic rationale for licensing parents, I will indicate that LaFollette’s ambiguous explanations for harm and attributes for competence are problematic. In addition, I will show that even if parenting satisfies LaFollette’s criteria, there are special reasons why it should not be licensed. Though this does not prove LaFollette’s idea to be false, I will suggest that if LaFollette offers a better definition of harm and an adequate explanation for competence, his argument will be stronger with a greater feasibility.
To go into more detail, the typical role of the father as far as childcare is concerned is usually to go to work so that he can receive the income to provide for his family. That’s not to say every family is like this but majority of people would consider this to be normal. Not only are males usually linked with providing income but they are also usually correlated with the act of discipline within the home. I think it’s safe to say that anyone who has ever heard these words “wait until your father...
Family Law (Law Express) 2th edition, by Jonathon Herring, published by Pearson Education Limited 2009
However, Hanna puts it in a different perspective, if in different circumstances the employee had produced these widgets without a contract, the employee would acquire rights to those widgets, but because of the contract, the company is paying the employee not for the rights to the widgets, but for his labor. In the same way, when a surrogate consents to a contract with the commissioning parents, the surrogate did not obtain any parental rights and, as a result, she is being compensated for her labor. If Hanna’s analysis is correct in saying that a surrogate is not selling her parental rights because she never acquires them, then a surrogate has no responsibility for the child, like choosing a proper home.
The family is the main agent of socialisation and an institution. (Giddens, 2013:339). As children, we rely on our family to fulfil basic needs. We all need guidance, and more importantly we also require nurturing to become healthy adults. The definition of family varies across cultures. However, the family is sensitive to change and, therefore, not static. The structure of the family has changed, and culture and society are now more accepting of the fact that people now choose to cohabit, rather than marry. (Haralambos & Holborn 2009:3). In 2013, there were nearly 1.9 million lone parent households with dependent children in the United Kingdom; a figure which has steadily increased over the years (Office of National Statistics 2013). The rise in lone parents has brought about greater acceptance of pregnancies that do not have to involve marriage although acceptance is not the concern. A study suggests that….
Meanwhile, others believe that child raising should be shared in a way that suits the family. While single parents argue that even without one parent they can give their children the needed love and care. The first point of view about whether parents should assume equal responsibilities when raising a child is that a child should be raised with all the care and love from both parents. Women and men should share their responsibilities because it is important for the children that both parents are involved and are able to collaborate with each other.
The role of a father in his child’s life extends past the knowledge of far too many, and can oftentimes be eclipsed by the role of the mother. Although the mother’s role is essential and greatly valued in a child’s life and development, the father plays a significant role as well. No mother can fill the father’s place in a child’s heart, for fathers nurture and play differently than a mother. Several studies show that an attendant and highly involved father is critical, especially in the early stages of a child’s life. The absence of a father during this stage can lead to “impaired social and behavioral abilities in adults” (Robert, 2013). But what is the role of the father? This paper discusses the role of the expectant father, the birth experience for him, the transition into fatherhood, and the rise of single fathers.
Sagade, Jaya. Child Marriage in India: Socio - Legal and Human Rights Dimensions. Oxford University Press: 2005 edition. Print.
The bond between these two women and this child is permanent and cannot be changed by law. The law can only govern which woman has the legal right to raise the child. Works Cited Centre Points, Volume 1, No. 1, Article #2, Surrogate Motherhood and its Human Costs, Suzanne Rozell Scorsone, Ph.D. ;1-2 Johnson v. Calvert, 5 Cal.
Parenting carries love, moral values, life skills, knowledge, traditional and so on to their children all the time. Most of the children practice the moral values, knowledge, and tradition which taught by their parents. In this way, most of them follow and believe in their parents’ word. Basically, children world views and mind were deeply shaped by their parents. Most of the children exercise what their parents practice. Children learn to make sense of what is going on around them by interact with their parents and surroundings. Through the “eyes” of their parents, they learn to see, think, question and look for answer which can satisfy them. If children were raised in a good or positive way, there is a very great probability that our society would be better off. Hence, from my point of view, parenting should be a privilege for a better future not only for the children it own but also our society.