Expert guides and advice
Foster carers generally cannot change a looked-after child’s name. Find out why the rules are so strict, who actually holds parental responsibility, when the court gets involved, and what foster carers can - and cannot - legally do.
Thinking of changing your teenager’s name when they don’t want it changed? UK law gives a child’s wishes increasing weight with age, and at 16 it becomes their own decision. Here’s where you stand, how disputes are resolved through mediation or court, and the realistic options.
Everything UK parents need to know about naming or renaming a newborn: the 42-day registration window, the 12-month forename correction rule, and when a child deed poll is the right route.
In a father vs mother surname dispute, neither parent has the final say on their own. Changing a child’s surname needs the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility-or a court order. Here’s the law, and how these disputes are actually resolved.
A clear UK guide to step-parent name changes: whether a child can take a step-parent's surname, whose consent is legally required, and why step-parents do not have automatic parental responsibility.
Changing a child's name without the other parent's consent is one of the most complex areas of UK family law. We explain who has "Parental Responsibility," when you can act alone, and how to apply for a court order if an absent or refusing parent stands in your way.
