Sir, – Padraig O'Morain states that the start of the year saw a significant improvement in the rights of cohabiting fathers ("When dad doesn't live with mum, roles can be hard to define", Health + Family, February 7th). He was referring to the recently enacted Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, which provides that, if the parents of a child have lived together for a year, the father automatically becomes a joint legal guardian. If looked at in isolation, this provision does provide a measure of benefit to some unmarried fathers.
However, other provisions of the Act could have an adverse affect on the position of fathers who do not fulfil the criteria for automatic guardianship. The provision whereby people who are not parents can ask the courts to appoint them as guardians could result in people who have no biological relationship with the child being appointed a guardians while guardianship is denied to the biological father.
This is quite likely to happen in cases where the mother is in a relationship with a person who is not the child’s father.
The legislation, therefore, has the potential to further marginalise some unmarried fathers by giving such persons precedence in matters of guardianship, rights and responsibilities. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL STEPHENS,
Raheen,
Limerick.