Lawyer offers guidance on fathers' parental rights

EVEN in this modern age, I'm sure like me, you will often hear it said that “it is still a man’s world," writes Andrew Caldicott.

Certainly over the past few decades, there has been a wealth of legislation aimed at tackling sexual discrimination and balancing up the scales.

When it comes to parenting though, it is arguable that the law treats fathers very differently and for those of us who have practised children’s law over many years, it is alarming just how many men are unaware of their rights or obligations in respect of their children.

The Children Act was brought into force in 1989 and for the first time in legal history, attempted to properly define what parenting involved. It created the concept of parental responsibility and that is defined as “all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by Law, a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his/her property.