Q&As

Where one of the parties to a step-parent parental responsibility agreement lives abroad and is unable to return to the UK to have their signature witnessed by one of the people stipulated on Form C(PRA2)), namely a justice of the peace, a justices’ clerk, an assistant to a justices’ clerk, or a court official who is authorised by the judge to administer oaths, what alternative abroad would be accepted by the courts in England?

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Produced in partnership with Chris Bryden of 4 King’s Bench Walk
Published on: 15 August 2024
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Section 4A of the Children Act 1989 (ChA 1989), inserted by the Adoption and Children Act 2002, provides a mechanism for the acquisition of parental responsibility by a step-parent as an alternative to adoption. It is often assumed that where a parent with parental responsibility and care of a child re-marries (or enters into a civil partnership), their partner will acquire parental responsibility without more, but this is not the case. ChA 1989, s 4A provides that where a child’s parent ('parent A') who has parental responsibility for the child is married to or a civil partner of a person who is

Chris Bryden
Chris Bryden

Barrister, 4 King’s Bench Walk

Chris was called to the Bar in 2003 and since that time has built a busy practice across a range of areas, with an emphasis on Chancery practice. He enjoys a well-deserved reputation for his knowledge and expertise in each area. He appears regularly in the County Court, Family Court and the High Court as well as various specialist Tribunals, and has been involved in cases up to and including the Supreme Court. He regularly is instructed at Appellate level. He has extensive and wide-ranging experience particularly in the areas of wills, probate and inheritance disputes; property including adverse possession, boundary disputes and issues arising out of trusts of land; company and commercial work and financial remedies. Chris is head of the Family Group and head of the Property Team at 4KBW.

Chris is the author of numerous articles in publications such as the New Law Journal, Counsel and Family Law, amongst many other titles, and is the co-author of Social Media in the Workplace: A Handbook (2015, Jordan Publishing).

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