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?

We had one of these kids come into the hospital aged 7!

Will be vague but social services were called. Not because of physical abuse but it was the first time the child had ever turned up on any system. No NHS number, no GP, no previous hospital visits. Parents were a mix of freeman of the land nutters and raging hippies.

Definitely report it.
Anecdotal, but my ex knew someone who had never been registered and didn't officially exist. It meant he could only do cash in hand work his whole life, which was ok in the '70s and '80s but would be much harder nowadays. Pretty much everything is on the book nowadays - jobs, rent, mortgages, travel, etc etc. Anyone who isn't registered is going to find it very difficult to participate in modern society.

A GP will always treat a child in an emergency. What you can’t do without a BC is register as a patient at the surgery

*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.*

She has no concerns about the child she says
.

A GP will always treat a child in an emergency. What you can’t do without a BC is register as a patient at the surgery

Well firstly, most doctors would treat a patient as an emergency.

However, to visit a practice as a guest, you need to provide your address and the name of your registered GP practice.

Even if you make something up, it may expose you. And that alone will make someone in this situation less likely to access medical care in a timely fashion.

I despise the constant bleating about parental rights. Parents have a fucking responsibility to do the right thing for their child. It isn’t about the parents.

But what would they need them for? Is this just highlighting a technicality or is there some reason it’s relevant? Not being arsey just don’t understand the focus on this

I mentioned it because some posters keep talking about parental rights to not register the child. I am wondering if they, technically, have any. So if the child needed hospital treatment, assuming they took the child, when it comes out the child isnt registered.....would the parents be assumed to have automatic parental responsibility for the child. Could it hold up non emergency treatment, could it end up with the patents not allowed to see the child until it was established that they are the parents and the child is registered.

I was just musing that if the child doesnt exist, do parents have parental rights or responsibilities?

There was actually a fly on the wall police documentary about a case just like this, and it took the police weeks to discover the child didn’t exist (technically, the child did exist- it was someone else’s though, and not missing)

I remember that, it was heartbreaking

@woody68, no immediate concerns. But concerns for the child’s future. What happens if she wants to go to college in the future? Get a job with no NI number? Travel?

The parents are making their child’s life ridiculously complicated because of some misguided principle

@Woody68 no not currently.

But the parents will be aware that a hospital visit, or having to involve police will end up with the child being registered.

Do you want to bet this childs life or welfare the parents will do the right thing, when they know that the cuold will be registered and in their eyes owned by the state?

Parental rights come from being the birth parents. So yes, they have them. They’ve probably been irresponsible enough for the authorities to override them right now, but registering a birth isn’t what gives you parental rights.

FWIW I have come across a fair number of, shall we say, nomadic cultures in the U.K. were rocking up to a registery office to fill out a form wouldn’t occur to the family. It’s not that unusual

In the case I was talking about, the child did get treatment.

But in the background social services were called. Anyone bringing a child into the hospital at 7 years old, who has never seen a doctor, doesn’t have a GP and has no nhs number (and a name which sounds made up on the spot) is going to raise suspicions.

Who is this kid? Are these people actually her parents? Has the kid been trafficked? Abducted?

A GP will always treat a child in an emergency. What you can’t do without a BC is register as a patient at the surgery

Yes they will. But it will prompt paper work and would lead to them finding out the child doesnt exist. Especially if the child is sent to hospital.

Theres a chance the parents womt seek medical help, for this reason.

@SinkGirl was it 24 hours in police custody or a BBC programme? It was so sad

Personally I have attended a Gp surgery as a guest when I wasn’t registered with any GP so can’t imagine that’s unusual.

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.

I profoundly disagree with this. In fact, in most cases, I question the validity of the whole notion of “parental rights”; I firmly believe that the rights of the child, who is a person and not a piece of property, should be paramount.

You (as an adult) choose to live outside mainstream society? All power to you. Absolutely your right to do it. Is it your right to impose that on a child, who lacks the capacity to make that choice? I say not.

Yes do it. I've come across a few unregistered children and it's never a good sign. They must be incredibly stupid.

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.

Except that registering your child's birth doesn't make that child government property, and failing to register the birth isn't a parental right.

As matters stand, no-one even knows whether this child is the child of the people she lives with. Keeping quiet is potentially very dangerous.

I don’t think the GP situation is problematic at all. I don’t think you are taking into account lying 🤣

• I’m in holiday visiting my friend. My name is my GP surgery is they’re off with their prescription before anyone has checked

• use walk in centres and make up details (they will treat you)

• tell them you’ve just moved here from another country and haven’t had time to registers yet

There are loads. Often they’ll know you’ll bullshitting but they’ll still treat you and it isn’t even uncommon.

Of course, as you point out this does exclude serious/ suspicious injury, but most children don’t actually experience those

Parental rights come from being the birth parents. So yes, they have them. They’ve probably been irresponsible enough for the authorities to override them right now, but registering a birth isn’t what gives you parental rights

You take the child to hospital, the child is admitted. No NHS number, no record of birth (as home birth with no medical assitance), no trace of the child at all.

Who is to say the mother is the birth mother? That will be what the hospital and SS will want to know and prove.

So, do they actually have PR? In theory, but not in practice. Because the hospital and SS may not allow them to exercise PR until its proved.

A father who is not on the birth certificate or married to to the mother has no PR.

This child could have come from anywhere. No way would the hospital say 'oh not registered, but lets carry on as normal'

Often they’ll know you’ll bullshitting but they’ll still treat you and it isn’t even uncommon.

But when it's a child involved they wont just shrug their shoulders.

And not just this child - this child's children as well, if it's a girl child we're talking about
You need to produce a birth certificate of your own to get a passport for your child as well - if you don't have one, you can't get one for your child either. So next generation could be affected as well.

But that's less important than the child itself being adversely affected by the no BC situation.

I'd report it, yes.

passthecherrycoke It works for one off treatment, but not ongoing treatment.

But protein, if I take a child to hospital and provide all their correct registered details they don’t know I have parental rights either- I could be anyone. They don’t take IDs and proof of parental rights when children are treated at hospital!

I agree, no NHS number, no trace etc would
Cause concern, and the hospital would involve the authorities, BUT, it’s not about parental rights is it? It’s about the fact the child isn’t registered anywhere and the dangers coming from that!

jennymanara Yes agreed- I think we have to assume this child hasn’t needed ongoing serious treatment though, since they have stayed under the radar all this time.

Parents don’t have rights, they have responsibilities. Children have rights.

If they definitely meant the birth not registered and not that the child isn’t registered for school or home education then I’d report.

Paperwork and the likes is difficult enough when your name is different from your BC (I don’t use the ridiculous first name my parents gave) to your day to day things. Let alone not having any.

That will affect everything - no bank account, no buying a house, no renting as can’t show ll proof of right to live here, no benefits, no job, no easy access to healthcare if they have a lump or anything other than emergency healthcare.

This is likely to explode right at the worst time for this child. Either when they are sick or injured, or when their parent dies the paperwork will be an issue.