Group items tagged

Unmarried fathers: rights and responsibilities in respect of their children None. Unmarried fathers do not have any automatic legal rights in respect of their children. None. Having your name entered in the Register of Births does not in itself give you any legal rights in respect of your child.

This section focuses on the rights and processes of unmarried parents and provides resources for which to find further information relating to: guardianship, access and custody, registering a birth, establishing paternity, and children's maintenance. It also looks at the rights of unmarried fathers and answers a wide range of questions they may have.

Maintenance of children whose parents are not married to each other All parents have a duty to maintain their children and rearing a child is expensive. It is a good idea to talk over how both parents can share in providing financially for their child -either through a voluntary maintenance agreement or through court proceedings.

Establishing paternity for parents who are not married to each other Where parents are married to each other there is a presumption in law that the husband is the father of the child unless the contrary is proved.

Access and Custody of children whose parents are not married to each other Where one parent has full custody of a child the question of access by the other parent may arise. Access is about spending time with your child.

A guardian of a child has a duty to maintain and properly care for the child and has the right to make decisions on all the major matters affecting the upbringing of the child, e.g. choice of school, medical treatment, adoption, religious matters, decisions about leaving the country etc.

For the birth registration of children whose parents are not married to each other - mother's surname - father's surname - both surnames (hyphenated, in any order).The father's name can be entered in the register of births by: - Both parents attending the registrar in the hospital or office together or - Either parent presenting to the registrar a statutory declaration acknowledging paternity and signed by the other parent or - Either parent bringing to the registrar a copy of a court order which names the father of the child (e.g.