To report parents for not registering the birth of a child

[Anon6356237]

Should I stay out of it or report? I'm concerned the child could fly under the radar if there are any concerns if they are not 'in the system'. Who would I report to?

If they feel they don’t want the child to be government property then that’s their right as parents. We must be so careful on taking away parental rights of choice whether we agree with the choice or not. It’s a slippery slope.

If the child isnt registered it means they have not and cant receive medical care. Obviously in an emergency they would be treated. But no one would know about an allegries etc.

Choosing bot register your child isnt a parental choice. And it's going to cause all sorts of headaches when the child gets older.

I would definitely report. They can still home school etc.

Bloody hell. This isn’t about “parental rights” - you have a right to give birth without medical involvement and a right to home educate etc but no right to make your child stateless and ineligible for a job, home, medical treatment etc later on. How will the child find somewhere to live? Everyone would want proof of ID. All they would be able to do would be work illegally when the time comes.

If they definitely haven't registered the child then I would report it.

It will cause huge problems for the child later on and to be honest, whether they are free spirits or not, failing to get their child a birth certificate strikes me as suspicious.

My kids are conventionally registered, vaccinated, at nursery etc.. but I actually have some sympathy with the parents in this very monitored age. I do think we will all look back in 25yrs and think how naive we were....
Before I reported anyone to anyone I would always do the courtesy of explaining my concerns to the person. You say you have no concerns other than this, so the best scenario would be the parent rethink and decide to register, pay the fine and go “whoops slipped our mind”... Unfortunately they’ve got themselves in a trap whereby any involvement will probably lead to total panic by the authorities (SS involvement etc) which may not actually be valid in terms of the child’s overall wellbeing.

YABU. You should keep your nose out. It’s none of your business. If they feel they don’t want the child to be government property then that’s their right as parents. We must be so careful on taking away parental rights of choice whether we agree with the choice or not. It’s a slippery slope.

There is no parental right to do this. They have already broken the law. This isn’t a slippery slope, they’ve already fallen off the cliff.

If the parents are antivax with an unregistered child, the chances of them accessing appropriate healthcare if the child becomes unwell are slim. I’d report on that basis alone.

YABU. You should keep your nose out. It’s none of your business. If they feel they don’t want the child to be government property then that’s their right as parents.

Bollocks... How is the child “Government property” by registering the birth? Preventing a child from becoming an non-citizen with no access to health or social security is preventing a form of abuse.

OP, you should definitely report this to prevent this child from growing up without all the rights we all take for granted.

Definitely report it , I can't believe this can happen . So the child had never been to see a doctor or had a vaccination? It's all kinds of wrong if it's true so definitely report it , the authority's need to look into how this can even happen .

@MrsBertBibby Thanks, I just found out someone wanted to call their twins Preacher and Cyanide.

If they feel they don’t want the child to be government property then that’s their right as parents.

A child isn't the property of its parents, either.

Report, OP. There are no benign motivations that justify rendering another human being stateless and unable to access medical care.

Fucking hippies.

I would like to think I would report them, purely on the basis they cannot access healthcare and the child can be under the radar for health and wellbeing.
With the child being homeschooled and never seeing any healthcare professionals, I would report.

We must be so careful on taking away parental rights of choice whether we agree with the choice or not. It’s a slippery slope.

And the rights of the child?

Has their child never been ill enough to need a doctor? They’re bloody lucky if so.

I’d report without hesitation but then I was a victim of child abuse and the thought of children where no one knows they exist scares the shit out of me.

I wonder if they’re lying to big up their alternative credentials, when really little Bobby is at the doctor’s fortnightly.

Also hope she has a good amount of savings because she won’t be getting a state pension if she’s not working or getting child benefit.

Ounce
I wouldn't say it's being hippies. Many people live hippie style free-living lifestyles without rendering their child stateless and hiding them from professionals.

People who keep their child under the radar and hide from professionals are more likely to be safeguarding risks and conspiracy theorists who would place their own paranoia of ' the man' above the safety and health needs of their child.

Please report it. My mother wasn't registered and has had a really hard time proving citizenship (without a birth certificate you don't have a country of birth or a legal link to your parents) and its affected her whole life. Going to uni, getting married, getting a job that requires a CRB check. Stuff like getting a passport + visas is still a nightmare and she travels internationally for work.

Are you absolutely certain they meant not birth registered as opposed to not registered with the local authority?

Because there are people who intend to home educate from birth who decide not register their child with the local authority for schooling which is not illegal. Just be 100% certain you have it right first OP.

I dont know the answer to this.

But do they actually have any parental rights? Since they arent registered.

If men arent on the birth certificate or married to the mother at the time of birth, they dont have parental rights.

How does that work for mothers? I mean if the child isnt registered, whose to say she actually is the biological mother?

If accused of not being the mother, would she have to take a DNA test to prove it?

I am wondering, since the child technically/ legally doesnt exist, do their parental rights exists.

What happens if the child is rushed into hospital? Has emergency treatment and admitted? But theres no record of the child. Would they allow the parents to make decisions about treatment? Once they realise the child isnt registered? Keep her away until it's actually proved she is the mother? Not just some nutjob who is claiming to be the childs mother?

I'd report it.

Absolutely you should report. This will have huge implications for the child when they are older, with no national insurance number they will be unable to work or get benefits.

I think it merits a call - not registering a child could have lifelong consequences. How do they expect their child to work as an adult with no documentation? Not to mention that the child has had none of the basic medical screening at all, no vaccinations etc.
A child isn’t for the parents to do with as they will; that’s why we need the safety net of the state, for when a child is put at risk by their parents (not specifically this child, but any child.)

Something to do with the government owning their child

This means they are Freemen on the Land

(Very entertaining MN thread on this a few years ago, I'll see if I can find it)

There will be no reasoning with them. Yes report - there's living self sustainably as off-grid as possible, and there's delusional.

Don't aske them about things like parental rights BTW, as FOTL completely reject the whole concept, or indeed that the state shouid have any jurisdiction over them at all. And that resigstering a birth is entering a contract with the state, so if they have not done that, the state has no power over that child.

It's very delusional, very much a cult and the authorities need to be aware. Though goodness only knows how they ever sort out situations like thus.

Just mind your own business
Wtf is the mn obsession with reporting everything that has nothing to do with them, like they are the head prefect at malory towers

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2095211-to-think-the-common-law-freeman-on-the-land-thing-is-a-whole-load-of-bollocks

Please do report. That poor child is so vulnerable to so many risks. Of course, they may well be entirely loving, just unconventional parents. But the risk of the child being a victim of abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour, medical neglect, educational neglect, are massively increased by the fact of non-registration.

There is an internationally-recognized human right for each child to have a name, to have her birth registered and to be recognized as a person. There are no conceivable circumstances in which outcomes could be better for a non-registered child.

Even if you’re not 100% certain, please report. If it’s the first scenario of just slightly hippy parents, then the child’s human right to a birth certificate is fulfilled and nothing else changes. If it’s the second one, you have undertaken the most important step in facilitating protection of an incredibly vulnerable child. Please do it. The child deserves this.

Wtf is the mn obsession with reporting everything that has nothing to do with them, like they are the head prefect at malory towers

I am afraid the welfare of children is all our business.