The Men's Project:
Resources - Parental Responsibility and Unmarried Fathers

It is often assumed that the parental rights of fathers are fairly straightforward. However, unmarried fathers may be faced with a nasty shock if they separate from their child’s mother. This is because unlike mothers, fathers do not always have automatic “parental responsibility” for their children.

Parental responsibility is a legal concept. It refers to those who have rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority in relation to a child and the property of that child. With an increasing number of children being born outside marriage, there is, subsequently, often confusion about the rights and entitlements of unmarried fathers.

The Men's Project has collated a fact sheet to provide answers to some of the key questions about Parental Responsibility and Unmarried Fathers in Northern Ireland. Please click on the link below to download a PDF version of the fact sheet. This document was last updated in March 2009 ...

Parental Responsibility and Unmarried Fathers in Northern Ireland (PDF, 101KB)