Joint birth registration
white paper joint birth registration: recording responsibility announced
DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (HSC-081) issued by The Government News
Network on 2 June 2008
Plans to change
the law to require dads as well as mums to be named on the birth
certificate are being announced by Secretary of State for Work
James Purnell and Children's Secretary Ed Balls in a joint
White Paper published today.
The change, which will be implemented in the next session's
Welfare Reform Bill, will put parental responsibility centre stage
by giving mothers or fathers a right to insist that the other
parent acknowledges their responsibilities to their child by
registering on the birth certificate.
The responsibility to register a new baby for unmarried parents
currently lies predominantly with the mother. In England and Wales
around 7% of births each year are solely registered by mothers,
which means every year up to 45,000 children do not have their
father named on their birth certificates. Today's
announcement intends to address this through three key changes to
the law:
1. Requirement to joint register
We are introducing a new responsibility on both parents to joint
register the birth of their child. If either parent wants to sole
register, the registrar will explain to them that they have to
joint register unless it is "impracticable, impossible or
unreasonable to do so". If not then the registrar will ask
the registering parent to come back with information about the
other parent in order to continue with the joint registration.
2. Father's obligation to register
Where the mother wants joint registration but the father does not
want to, the mother can provide information that allows the
registrar to contact the father who will be obliged to take a
paternity test. If he is proven to be the father then the child
will be joint registered.
3. Father's right to register
The changes will give a father the right to declare his paternity
and have his name recorded on the birth certificate. Where the
mother does not acknowledge that the father is the father, he will
have the right to ask to take a paternity test.
In addition the White Paper also proposes other non-legislative
ways to increase the number of joint registrations, for example
registrar outreach making it possible for people to register in
their local community at a doctor's surgery or community
centre. It also looks at more flexible hours for registration, or
the option of a home visit for parents with reduced mobility.
Mr Purnell said:
"All children deserve the best start in life. It's
crucial that from the day they are born, both mum and dad
recognise the role they play in their child's life and how
that shapes their child's identity. Registering a
child's birth isn't just a legal requirement, it's
a lifetime commitment by both parents to safeguard their
child's development, health and welfare, and provide them
with direction and guidance throughout childhood.
"We want to ensure that while continuing to protect
vulnerable women and children, we promote parental responsibility
and child welfare by significantly increasing the number of birth
registrations which hold the details of both mother and father."
Mr Balls said:
"Every child has the right to know who their parents are and
we want to make things as easy as possible for both parents to
take responsibility for their children. Becoming a father is a
serious and significant event, as we know that when fathers are
involved in their child's life it can help them succeed at
school, as well as stay on the right track during the teenage
years and - for children in separated families - improve emotional
health and well-being .
"Engaging fathers at the birth of their child, including
registering fathers on the birth certificate, is vital in
establishing that close involvement."
Notes To Editors
1. The White Paper Joint birth registration: recording
responsibility can be found at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/jointbirthregistration
or http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_preview/?pageid=98888
2. The names of married parents are automatically recorded in the
birth register when one of them registers. They do not have to
register jointly. This works well and it is not proposed to change this.
3. The White Paper follows a Green Paper Joint birth
registration: promoting parental responsibility published by my
Department on 26th June 2007.
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk
Website http://www.dcsf.gov.uk
NEWS RELEASE