| 释义 |
step-parent
n. A person who is married to or in a civil partnership with the parent of a child but is not the natural parent of the child. A step-parent has no automatic legal status in relation to his or her step-children, but will usually qualify to apply, as of right, for a section 8 order in respect of the child by virtue of being married to the child’s natural parent. Until recently step-parents could only acquire parental responsibility either by applying to court for a residence order (which automatically conferred parental responsibility) or by applying to adopt the child without removing the status of the step-parent’s partner. The Children Act 1989, as amended by the Adoption and Children Act 2002, has given the court a new power to confer parental responsibility on the step-parent, so long as both legal parents agree. Courts are conscious of the fact that step-parent adoption will irrevocably sever the child’s legal ties with his or her other natural parent, but this will not prevent the making of the order if it is consistent with the child’s best interests (Re P (A Child) (Adoption: Step-parent) [2014] EWCA Civ 1174). It is noteworthy that “step-parent” adoption is available to partners who are not in a marriage or civil partnership with a parent. |