All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter examines the concept of parental responsibility and its legal significance; the various legislative provisions dealing with who automatically holds parental responsibility, as well as how, and by whom, it may be acquired; the exercise of parental responsibility and the various restrictions that may be imposed on the decision-making authority of those who hold it; and the rights and responsibilities of those adults who care for a child but do not have parental responsibility.
