We appreciate that there are often other matters associated with divorce and separation, perhaps most commonly to do with children. Contact Contact with children can become difficult when a couple when a couple are divorced or separated. The Divorce Club team can assist if you are seeking to formalise contact arrangements with your child. Often this can be resolved amicably, but if not, we can advise in relation to legal proceedings. Residence If you would like your child to live with you it is possible for this to be agreed with your spouse or partner by consent. Alternatively, it may be necessary to go to court and the Divorce Club team can advise you in relation to your options and arrange for you to be represented, if necessary. Parental Responsibility This concept is best explained as "all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities, and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property" (s.3 Children Act 1989). The mother of a child will automatically have PR . If you were married when your child was born, then you will also automatically have PR. If you are an unmarried father and your child was born after 1 December 2003, you will automatically have PR only if you are named as the father on the child's birth certificate. If you are unmarried and your child was born before that date, your partner or ex-partner can give you PR by making a Parental Responsibility Agreement. If such an agreement is not possible, it may be necessary to go to court to obtain an Order. Please get in touch if you would like advice in relation to any of these issues and we will be able to advise you in relation to your rights and the options available to you. |