Thanks for your reply, @floatyjosmum .
I’d imagine that it is straightforward when both parents agree. But in my case, the other parent who lives abroad has refused to sign the agreement, so it has got to be a court order.
The step-parent meets all the requirements to be able to request it (married to me, lives with the child for over 3 years), and is super involved on the kids upbringing (school runs, parents meeting, organising school events, reading/homework), GP appointments, etc. Plus, I do not have any family here, so my support network is essentially the step-parent.
But to answer your question @Needtoseethatbiggerpicture , we are requesting on the basis that I’m away for work on a regular basis (approx 1 week at a time), so the step-parent could authorise any emergency/hospital treatment that the kid might need. Plus, some GPs won’t share medical info with the step-parent, and would ask for me to be present. Also, this might also help the step-parent when being questioned every time when travelling with the child by plane (it’s always ‘are you the father?’, have you got PR?’) when I’m not present. Plus, at the moment, the step-parent can’t sign anything school-related (not even vote for school governors) without PR.