How to contact us for advice

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Our advice service

Are you a parent, kinship carer relative or friend of a child who is involved with, or who needs the help of, children’s services in England? We can help you understand processes and options when social workers or courts are making decisions about your child’s welfare.

Our advice service is free, independent and confidential.

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By phone or email

To speak to an adviser, please call our free and confidential advice line 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, excluding Bank Holidays). Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.

Discuss on our forums

Our online advice forums are an anonymous space where parents and kinship carers (also known as family and friends carers) can get legal and practical advice, build a support network and learn from other people’s experiences.

Advice on our website

Our get help and advice section has template letters, advice sheets and resources about legal and social care processes. On Monday and Wednesday afternoons, you can use our webchat service to chat online to an adviser.

 

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Parental responsibility

A person with parental responsibility is responsible for the care and wellbeing of their child. Section 3 of the Children Act 1989 explains parental responsibility as “All the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority, which by law a parent has in relation to the child…”.

Unless a Family Court order says something different, a person with parental responsibility can make important decisions about a child’s life.

For example:

  • Providing a home for the child
  • Protecting and caring for the child
  • Consenting to the child’s medical or dental treatment.

All birth mothers have parental responsibility for their child, unless their child has since been adopted. See our Mothers page for information about mothers, stepmothers, second female parents and parental responsibility.

A father may have, or obtain, parental responsibility for a child depending on the situation. See our Fathers page for information and advice about fathers, stepfathers and parental responsibility.

See our Kinship carers page for information about what happens to parental responsibility when a child is raised in different types of kinship care arrangement.

It may be helpful to open or download our guide Parental responsibility – quick facts. This includes a table showing who has parental responsibility. And the different people who can obtain it.  It also answers questions about:

  • Whether parental responsibility can come to an end
  • Decision making and parental responsibility
  • Limits to parental responsibility, and
  • Taking a child abroad.
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