The Children Act 1989 introduced the concept of parental responsibility and defines it 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.'

The guidance to the 1989 Act states that parental responsibility is concerned with 'bringing the child up, caring for him and making decisions about him, but does not affect the relationship of parent and child for other purposes. Thus, whether or not a parent has parental responsibility for a child does not affect any obligations towards the child, such as a statutory duty to maintain him, […] nor does it affect succession rights'.

This paper provides guidance around parental responsibility (PR)

This note provides information on acquiring parental responsibility, including for unmarried fathers, civil partners and step-parents. It applies to England and Wales and is provided by the House of Commons Library Socila Policy Section.