All mothers and most fathers have legal rights and responsibilities as parents – referred to as parental responsibility. By having parental responsibility, it means that you are responsible for and have the legal right to be consulted about important issues concerning your child, e.g. health, education, religion, and welfare.
Mothers automatically have parental responsibility. However, for fathers, parental responsibility is only granted if:
He is married to the child’s mother when the child is born
He subsequently marries the child’s mother
He is named on the birth certificate when the child’s birth is registered
He has entered into a parental responsibility agreement with the mother
There is a parental responsibility order made by the Court