Parenting law and children law pages
Welcome to our parenting and children law area, where you can find a wealth of information and resources about parenting law, put together by the UK's leading expert solicitors in the law for gay and lesbian, artificially conceived and other unusual families. You can browse here for information about who the law recognises as parents, the status non-parent adults have, dealing with disputes where relationships break down, and contact rights and financial maintenance.
Read our detailed guidance on parenting law by using the links on the left
Read articles and publications about parenting law
Read UK parenting and children law
Access the court forms you may need
Find other websites with useful information about parenting law
Gamble and Ghevaert and its partners in the news:
We are often quoted in the national press as leading experts on same sex parenting and the law for families created through assisted reproduction, and are champions of those conceiving through alternative means, including:
The Pink List 2010 (ranking Natalie Gamble as a pioneer of fertility law and one of the 101 most influential gay and lesbian people in Britain) - The Independent on Sunday, 1 August 2010
New surrogacy law eases the way for gay men to become legal parents - (The Observer, 28 March 2010)
Power 50: Britain's most influential women - (Diva, August 2009)
The Times, 12 December 2008 - British surrogacy ruling saves baby twins from Ukraine orphanage (by Mark Henderson)
Pinknews, 6 October 2008 - Stonewall awards attract top names to V&A ceremony (by Tony Grew) - Natalie Gamble nominated as Stonewall Hero of the Year
The Times, January 15 2008 - Lawyer of the week: Natalie Gamble (following representation of Andy Bathie, the sperm donor pursued by the CSA for maintenance)
BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, 19 November 2007 - John Humphrys interview with Natalie Gamble and Baroness Deech on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill (defending the new rights for lesbian parents)
Articles and publications on parenting law:
Birth certificates: a new era? - Louisa Ghevaert (Bionews, May 2010)
Bringing up baby (the options for gay men) - Natalie Gamble and Louisa Ghevaert (Out in the City magazine, May 2010)
What happens when surrogacy goes wrong? The recent Indiana case in its wider context - Louisa Ghevaert (Bionews, February 2010)
Parenthood for same sex couples - Stonewall publication, December 2009
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008: revolution or evolution? - Natalie Gamble and Louisa Ghevaert (Family Law, August 2009)
The Changing Face of Parenthood - Louisa Ghevaert (Family Law Journal, July/August 2009)
UK parenting and children law:
The two major pieces of legislation which govern children and parenting law in the UK are the Children Act 1989 and the Adoption and Children Act 2002. These set the detail of the law across a wide range of issues, and create the structure for court involvement in relation to children when something goes wrong.
You can read the law itself below, or you can find out more about how the law applies in practice by reading our detailed legal guidance in the links on the left.
Adoption and Children Act 2002
Useful parenting law court forms:
If you are not automatically recognised as a legal parent of your child (for example a lesbian non-birth mother in respect of a child conceived before 6 April 2009) these are the court forms you may need to apply for parental responsibility or adoptive parenthood. There is more information in our guidance about how and when to use these forms.
Parental responsibility agreement
Step parent parental responsibility agreement
If you would like guidance completing these forms or want to know more about the process involved, contact us for legal advice on your particular situation.
Other websites with useful parenting law information:
The following are the websites of major UK governmental bodies and charities which can help with parenting law issues.
CAFCASS - the Child and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, which works with families and advises the courts as to what may be considered in the best interests of a child
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission - formerly the CSA, the government body which enforces maintenance awards against financially responsible parents
British Association for Adoption and Fostering - a leading UK charity, which works with adoptive families and gives advice and information on issues of adoption and fostering
Stonewall - the UK's leading gay rights and gay and lesbian information charity
Parenting law: how can we help?
Gamble and Ghevaert LLP provides cutting edge legal representation to same sex parents, families created through assisted reproduction and other families in difficult or complex situations (including those in international disputes) and we have unrivalled experience dealing with cases which challenge the traditional boundaries of family law. Both Natalie Gamble and Louisa Ghevaert have acted in landmark litigation and for many hundreds of same sex and fertility treatment parents, as well as donors, surrogates and non-parent adults such as grandparents. Louisa is an internationally respected litigator and a highly skilled negotiator, with over a decade's experience of handling difficult children law cases, while Natalie is renowned as a leading champion of same sex parents and represented Andy Bathie, the sperm donor famously pursued for maintenance by the CSA.
If you would like any further information or legal advice on your particular circumstances, contact us. We can help with:
- providing effective and sensitive legal representation if you are involved in a dispute (whether you are a gay/ lesbian parent, a heterosexual parent, a donor/co-parent, a step parent, a grandparent, or anyone else in a difficult family situation), and
- advising on how the law applies and helping you to acquire parenthood status or parental responsibility in non-contentious situations.
