The highs and lows of shared parenting

Sonia R Crawford

Senior Lecturer University of East London

Justin Pierce

Barrister Inner Temple:

Despite the opposition of the Family Justice Review the Government has indicated its support for a change in legislation to support the introduction of a legal presumption of shared parenting. 

It is evident that new legislation for shared parenting is contentious. This article considers the arguments for and against shared parenting together with the relevant legislation and research. An evaluation of the current legislation and case law provides a backdrop against which an assessment is made and indeed whether the call for reform and a presumption for shared parenting are justified and necessary. It is suggested that parental responsibility has been downgraded to recognition and approval of the status of the father. This is rather than as per the section itself 'all the rights duties powers responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to a child' (section 3 (1) 1989 Act)   and if such were not the case there...

Read the full article here.