Does an ex step dad have parental responsibility?

[Purplerainbow2]

Hi, 2 DC, I got re married a year ago and have separated permanently, I'm sure I read somewhere that once you have been re married for 2 years that the step parent automatically gains parental responsibility? But when Iv just had a Google, it seems they automatically get it just by living with them? Does anyone know what the law is? I don't want him having any responsibility not any contact full stop (neither do the children)

Tia

Haven't a clue where you got any of that from. It's all untrue. A step-parent never gets automatic PR.

Contact and pr are separate anyway.

Step parents (or any other adult for that matter) can only get parental responsibility if it's applied for via the courts and everyone with parental responsibility agrees.

You get parental responsibility by being named on the birth certificate or through the the courts as far as I'm aware.

he can apply to the courts to gain contact in the same way that grandparents can if he wants. That could result in compulsary contact, but not PR

contact and PR are separate.

I don't know where I read it, it's annoying I can't find it. I'm sure it was some solicitors page! So he has no 'claim' to them at all? He won't, as he isn't really interested in them I just need to cover our backs (due to history with their biological father)

So he could have compulsory contact just because he was married to me?

So he could have compulsory contact just because he was married to me?
No.

You should really stop reading that stuff.

No PR and no compulsory contact. He has no rights at all.

You are probably getting confused with rights of finances. He will have no rights over the children at all. He would have to go to court if he wanted any contact. And even if he did do this he would be really unlikely to get it unless he was the main caregiver over a long period of time x

So sorry about the X at the end! Been texting DH and it was automatic!

No PR and no compulsory contact. He has no rights at all

he has no automatic contact, but he can apply to go to court for contact, which if granted would be compulsorily, as can anyone who has spent significant time with a child.

Most likely 2 hours a month at a contact centre if granted, although once at a contact centre they'll usually work towards making the time unsupervised away from the contact centre

I wonder if you're confusing it with the right to apply. I think any adult living with a child for two years (so an unmarried stepparent) has the right to apply for a CAO for that child. A married stepparent has the right to apply for one regardless of the length of time they have lived with the child.

it's hard to be sure when it comes to leave to apply to court for contact.

It doesn't always make sense, there have been MNers who have had grandparents who had no precident of any contact at all with the kids being granted unsupervised weekends! when usually its only grandparents who have a history of contact, and at that they only get 2hrs a month.

There's no guarentee that a stepdad of 2 years wouldn't be granted contact if they decided to apply for it. They might be, there can be somewhat of an assumption in the childrens courts that parents "use" children by witholding contact with otherwise caring adults just because of a row.