Parental Responsibility and Legal Contact

**Helen79** · 05-03-2009, 06:24 PM

Didn't want to hijack the other thread about this.
I've printed out the PR & LC form from the Bromley site ready to get the mum to sign when I see her on Monday but can anyone explain what the Legal Contact part of it means.

I understand the parental responsibility but don't understand who would have legal contact & how it affects me once I've filled out the forms.

Thanks for any help

**sarah707** · 05-03-2009, 08:41 PM

Legal contact is about getting a court order with permission to see a child.

it is usually got by grandparents after a divorce or fathers who do not have parental responsibility.

I have explained more here -

http://eyfsforchildminders.webnode.c...-must-collect/

Hope it helps!

**Helen79** · 05-03-2009, 08:50 PM

Thanks

Still very confused though

my parent's probably will be too so I need to understand it properly to explain to them.

Who needs to go on the form? Obviously parent's & any other carers who picks up the children such as step parents & grandparents. Do they have to give me details of absent parents?

**Jules12Wed** · 06-03-2009, 08:14 AM

Ok. I have printed off the form from the Bromley site, no where for parent to sign? Do they need to sign??

Parent has ticked they have parental responsibility and legal contact, is this right.

Apart from redoing all forms, yet again!! I chose to just print of a lc and pr form.

Sorry don't mean to interrrupt this thread but it seemed to fit in.

**Pauline** · 06-03-2009, 08:34 AM

I think you ought to get a signature Jules, otherwise they could claim that they didn't fill in the form and that you had done it

**Jules12Wed** · 06-03-2009, 09:07 AM

Thanks Pauline. I should have just done it in the first place really. My husband laughs cos everytime a parent comes in I say i've got another form for you to sign!!

**charlie28** · 06-03-2009, 09:46 AM

I have just modified a form from the bromley site.

**FizzysFriends** · 06-03-2009, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by Helen79

Thanks

Still very confused though

my parent's probably will be too so I need to understand it properly to explain to them.

Who needs to go on the form? Obviously parent's & any other carers who picks up the children such as step parents & grandparents. Do they have to give me details of absent parents?

You don't need to know about people who pick the children up unless they have legal contact.

Lady Haha · 06-03-2009, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by FizzysFriends

You don't need to know about people who pick the children up unless they have legal contact.

Did you mean people who DON'T pick up the children? As in an absent parent who has been gone for donkeys and doesn't have legal contact?

Can some one give us all an example of who WOULD go on the form? I have a couple of kids who get picked up sometimes by their grandparents, these grandparents don't have parental responsibility or legal contact. So is this form fmainly for keeping up to date childrens records and nothing to do with who picks up?

**sarah707** · 06-03-2009, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by blackandsparkly

I have a couple of kids who get picked up sometimes by their grandparents, these grandparents don't have parental responsibility or legal contact. So is this form fmainly for keeping up to date childrens records and nothing to do with who picks up?

Yes / no sorry not sure what to answer!

The questions have got nothing to do with who collects the children... that must be a separate question on your form.

There has never been a reason given for why we suddenly have to start asking the questions and 2 of my parents complained that it was intrusive into their private family life and unnecessary but I am sure there is a reason somewhere.

Perhaps it has something to do with strangers or unsolicited people knocking on our doors...? also to confirm who can give you authority to do things and who can't... but then in an emergency the docs etc act in the best interests of the child anyway...??

**Mollymop** · 06-03-2009, 11:57 AM

DOes legal contact mean - for example, where both parents have parental responsibility but have separated, so therefore the person with the legal contact is the parent that makes the decisions/who the child lives with?

Lady Haha · 06-03-2009, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by Mollymop

DOes legal contact mean - for example, where both parents have parental responsibility but have separated, so therefore the person with the legal contact is the parent that makes the decisions/who the child lives with?

This bit I DO understand so can help you here! The parent/s who the child lives with and who make all the decisions is the the ones with parental responsibility. I'm spot on with the parental responsibility thing, it's the legal contact thats confusing!

Just looked at the link above and it says that even if the father is living with the mother, if they weren't married or registered the birth together, he does not have parental responsibility and if he hasn't applied for legal contact, he doesn't have that either! So, it makes no difference really if the father is an absent parent or not!

As far as I can tell, Legal contact is a court order that some one will have applied for and any mums you work with will know if some one has done this and therefore has legal contact with their child. Some of our parents might be shocked to find that dad doesnt have parental responsibility if he wasnt or isn't married to mum or didn't jointly register the birth! He will need to apply for Legal Contact even though he has been living with them for years before said kiddy even came along!

**Helen79** · 06-03-2009, 01:31 PM

This bit I DO understand so can help you here! The parent/s who the child lives with and who make all the decisions is the the ones with parental responsibility. I'm spot on with the parental responsibility thing, it's the legal contact thats confusing!

A father can still have parental responsibility even if they are absent. If they are on the birth certificate or were married at the time of the birth but have since dissapeared & have no contact with the child, they would still have parental responsibility.

I still don't understand who needs to go on this form. Is it any parent or step parent whether they're absent or not? Can't go into detail on here but really don't know who the mum should be giving me information about?

Is it basically asking in a round about way who ISN"T allowed contact with the child?

**FizzysFriends** · 06-03-2009, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Helen79

A father can still have parental responsibility even if they are absent. If they are on the birth certificate or were married at the time of the birth but have since dissapeared & have no contact with the child, they would still have parental responsibility.

I still don't understand who needs to go on this form. Is it any parent or step parent whether they're absent or not? Can't go into detail on here but really don't know who the mum should be giving me information about?

Is it basically asking in a round about way who ISN"T allowed contact with the child?

Is mom seperated from birth father?

**Helen79** · 06-03-2009, 02:01 PM

Is mom separated from birth father?

Yes she is

**FizzysFriends** · 06-03-2009, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by Helen79

Yes she is

Ok so mom has PR and legal contact, so thats her side sorted.

If they were married dad has PR, if they weren't and child was born before 2003 you will need to ask mom if dad has a PR agreement (either voluntry or through court). If child was born after 2003 if he's on the birth cert or has an agreement he has PR. Mom will have to tell you if dad has legal contact, this will be done privatly or through court/mediation/solicitors.

**Minstrel** · 06-03-2009, 03:45 PM

Just to add my bit...... The exact date PR came into effect was 1 dec 2003 ( my son was born on the 8th so we were one of the first to do it).

This is info for those who were born earlier in 2003 and wont know what your talking about! which they probably still wont anyway

**Helen79** · 06-03-2009, 04:00 PM

Ok so mom has PR and legal contact, so thats her side sorted.

If they were married dad has PR, if they weren't and child was born before 2003 you will need to ask mom if dad has a PR agreement (either voluntry or through court). If child was born after 2003 if he's on the birth cert or has an agreement he has PR. Mom will have to tell you if dad has legal contact, this will be done privatly or through court/mediation/solicitors

Thanks
So do I have to include dad & step dad on the form mum signs? I'm assuming steparent's doesn't have legal contact or PR if they're not married?

**Helen79** · 06-03-2009, 04:10 PM

I've just phoned ofsted about something else & asked about this, I only need mum's details so I'll get that done on Monday

I've just realised I've totally misunderstood this, I thought legal contact meant who legally is allowed contact with the child, but it means who do I contact about the child

**christine e** · 06-03-2009, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Helen79

I've just phoned ofsted about something else & asked about this, I only need mum's details so I'll get that done on Monday

I've just realised I've totally misunderstood this, I thought legal contact meant who legally is allowed contact with the child, but it means who do I contact about the child

Is this what Ofsted have told you because reading the other threads I interpret legal contact to mean who is legally allowed contact with the child, indeed who has gone to court regarding contact

Cx