If you separate from your partner and are not married but do have children, it’s important to gain a detailed and accurate understanding of what your rights are as soon as possible.

Do you have parental responsibility?

In England and Wales, fathers have parental responsibility for their children if their name is on the birth certificate and the birth was registered after December 1st 2003. You will also have responsibility if there was no father listed before this date but you were added later, or if you have signed a Parental Responsibility Agreement. You may also be given a parental responsibility order by a court, or a Residence Order that says that the child can live with you. You will gain it if you go on to marry the mother, but you won’t automatically be given it if their mother dies and you are not married. If a civil partnership ends,