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Hi. I'm 16 years old and my 15 year old ex girlfriend told me when she was 5 months pregnant that I am the father. She promised me access and said I would be named on the birth certificate. Now my son has been born she has hardly let me see him and she says that I can't be named on the birth certificate until I am 18. Is this true? If I am not named will I have no rights to see my son? She is also refusing to let my mum see my son because she suggested that we have a DNA test done. Any help would be welcome.
Hi YOUNGDAD, good to have you on here. Congratulations on becoming a dad. I'm not sure about the answer to this personally but I'm sure someone will be along on here soon who knows the answer. Keep us updated with your progress.
Hi and welcome
I will ask our legal experts at the CCLC give an opinion as I have no idea whether your age has any affect (though I don't think it should)
Dear Young Dad
Thank you for your post.
As far as we are aware there are no age restriction for you to be named on the birth certificate at the age of 16 years of age. However, in order to be named on the birth certificate you would need to be present at the registration or complete a statutory decleration form.
If you are not named on the birth certificate you will not have Parental Responsibility for your son. This means that the mother will have sole rights and responsibilities towards your son. However there are ways that you can obtain this.
As there are a lot of issues to discuss in your case we would be grateful if you could contact us via our webchat facility which is open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm and is found at www.childrenslegalcentre.com or our freephone advice line on 0808 8020 008 which is open from 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday.
We look forward to hearing from you
Yours sincerely
CORAM CHILDREN'S LEGAL CENTRE
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