NSCFC: Fathers need parental rights
Wednesday, 31 May 2006 12:59
The National Society for Children and Family Contact (NSCFC) has called for parental responsibility for unmarried fathers, after the Law Commission today proposed legal reform to bring cohabiting couples' rights in line with those in marriages.
Under current law, a father has no automatic right to his children if he is not married to their mother.
A spokesman told politics.co.uk at least 100 children a day were losing contact with their father, due to the "whim of the other parent". He said changes to parental rights legislation would help give children "the family life to which they are entitled".
Although he did not think men should have to pay maintenance to their unmarried partners, he advocated setting up larger maintenance funds for children.
However, he had fears the Child Support Agency (CSA) was in "such a mess" that it would be unable to deal with any such changes, and said an overhaul of this "unsuccessful system" was first required.