A petition calling for parents convicted of abuse to automatically lose parental responsibility has attracted more than 13,500 signatures.
The petition, which has three months still remaining, could potentially trigger a Parliamentary response or debate if it hits 100,000 signatories by 11th September.
Creator Kelly Higgins wrote on the petition page: “We want to change the law to automatically remove parental responsibility from parents convicted of abuse. We feel children being required to see their abusive parents and allowing them to still make decisions regarding the child’s life is abuse in itself and may cause more suffering.
She added: “We believe many children are failed by the system and may be left with lifelong trauma and PTSD. Foster parents should been given full parental responsibility instead.”
Lorraine Watts, head of family law at HCB Widdows Mason, says the petition highlights growing public concern around child protection, but warns the legal reality around parental responsibility is far more complex than it appears.
The issue is rooted in how the Children Act originally established parental responsibility, Watts explained, which she believes doesn’t provide a straightforward mechanism for its removal. While the law itself isn’t overly complex on this specific point, the act just doesn’t allow for total removal, she added.
A removal mechanism might not have been considered by lawmakers at the time, she suggested, or because courts can restrict PR so heavily that it can’t be used at all, they might not have felt they needed to make it possible to remove.
