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United Kingdom

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Parent definition

What does Parent mean? In legal practice, parent describes the person(s) recognised by law as a child’s legal mother, father or second legal parent. Legal parenthood is set by legislation and case law, not by day‑to‑day care. Across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, parentage may arise through birth, adoption, donor conception and surrogacy. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Acts 1990/2008 define who is a mother or other parent after assisted reproduction and provide for parental orders in surrogacy. In Ireland, donor‑assisted reproduction and adoption are principally governed by the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 and the Adoption Act 2010. Being a parent...

Case law: grant of parental responsibility under s 12(2A) CA 1989

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Section 12(2A) of the Children Act 1989 (ChA 1989)

Inserted by paragraph 21(4) of Schedule 2, Part 1 of the Children and Families Act 2014 (CFA 2014), Section 12(2A) of the Children Act 1989 (ChA 1989) came into force on 22 April 2014. This statutory amendment to ChA 1989, s 12 expressly empowers the court to confer parental responsibility on an individual who is neither a parent nor a guardian of the child, but who is identified in a relevant child arrangements order (CAO) as a person with whom the child spends time or otherwise has contact. Any parental responsibility granted under ChA 1989, s 12(2A) endures only for as long as the corresponding CAO currently remains operative. Although the provision has been operative for more than two years, there seem to be no reported cases that consider ChA 1989, s 12(2A)...

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Katherine Illsley

Harcourt Chambers

Katherine’s family practice covers matrimonial finance, TOLATA, Schedule 1, and private law children proceedings. She has experience acting for local authorities, guardians and parents in public law children cases, including in cases involving allegations of non-accidental injuries.Katherine also is regularly instructed in housing and property work, and due to the frequent crossover with family law has a particular interest in cases involving trusts....

Web page updated on 27/05/2026

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