Parental responsibility is defined in the Children Act 1989 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 property'.
Only a person with parental responsibility for a child can manage that child’s Child Trust Fund account. Parental responsibility is held by:
- the child’s mother: a mother always has parental responsibility for her children unless removed by a court order
- the child’s father, provided
- he was married to the mother at the child’s date of birth or subsequently, or
- he has (re-)registered the child jointly with the mother, or
- one of the parents (re-)registered the child on production of a statutory declaration made by the other parent
- any person who has acquired parental responsibility by virtue of a court order (e.g. a Residence Order or a Special Guardianship Order), a formal parental responsibility agreement, by adopting or by being appointed guardian for the child.
