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Parental responsibility
This refers to all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which a parent can have in relation to a child such as education or medical treatment. Where parents are married at the time of a child’s birth or subsequently marry or if the father is named on the birth certificate, they each have parental responsibility. Where this is not the case, the mother has parental responsibility alone until she agrees that the father should have it (a short form must be filed at court) or the court grants it to the father. Each parent with parental responsibility may act alone, although responsible parenthood means endeavouring to agree matters with the other parent. Similar to the previously used “custody”.
