I have a 16-year-old stepson who has been in a group home and after he returned home, he was expelled from school for breaking and entering and also for vandalism.
What are the legal ramifications that we as parents will face if we throw him out of our house?
He causes constant turmoil and was initially removed from our home for peeking at my 12-year-old daughter while she was in the shower. Please help!
What is parental responsibility?
Parental responsibility is the legal term for the duties and rights a person has towards a child. If you hold parental responsibility for your son, you have a legal obligation to protect him, provide a home for him, and meet his basic needs.
Not everyone who is a parent automatically has parental responsibility. A birth mother will have it from the moment her child is born in almost all cases. Fathers who are married to the mother at the time of birth, or who marry her afterwards, will also acquire parental responsibility. Fathers named on the birth certificate gain it automatically for children born after 1 December 2003 in England and Wales, or after 4 May 2006 in Scotland.
Unmarried fathers of children born before those dates may not have parental responsibility unless they later obtained it through a formal agreement with the mother or a court order. Step-parents do not have parental responsibility unless they have legally adopted the child, acquired it through the courts, or entered into a parental responsibility agreement with consent from everyone who already holds parental responsibility.
Check your legal rights as a parent on education, health and welfare decisions.
Try our Parental Rights Checker free, here on this site →Can you ask a 16 year old to leave?
Whether you can ask a 16 year old to leave home depends on several factors, but in most cases you cannot simply evict a child from your home without consequence.
Anyone with parental responsibility for a child has a duty to provide for them until they reach 18. Asking a 16 year old to leave and refusing to support them could be considered a failure to meet that duty. In some situations, it may even amount to neglect or abandonment, which can have legal consequences.
Parents who do not hold parental responsibility still have a financial obligation to support their children. This obligation is typically fulfilled through child support payments, calculated through the Child Maintenance Service, and applies regardless of whether you live with the child.
A 16 year old can choose to leave home and has certain rights to live independently at that age. However, that is different from a parent forcing them out. If your son has nowhere safe to go, local authority children's services must become involved and will take action to ensure his welfare.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
What about step-parents?
If you are a step-parent and have not formally adopted your stepson, you are unlikely to have parental responsibility for him. Your legal obligations will depend on whether you have taken steps to acquire parental responsibility through a court order, adoption, or a parental responsibility agreement.
Your partner's own status matters here too. If your partner is the birth mother, she is likely to have parental responsibility. If your partner is the birth father, his status will depend on the factors outlined above.
The household situation can affect what options are available and what the consequences might be for each of you.
Where to get help
Family breakdown involving a teenager is difficult for everyone. Before taking any steps, it may help to speak with a family solicitor who can advise on your specific circumstances. Many solicitors offer an initial consultation at a fixed fee or sometimes free of charge.
You can also contact your local council's children's services department for guidance. They may be able to offer support to keep the family together or help find appropriate solutions if living together is no longer possible. Organisations such as Family Lives provide free support and advice to families in distress.
For general information about parental responsibility, the GOV.UK website has guidance that explains the rules in more detail.
They don’t want to do any housework but to eat, have fun. Myself and their mum works a lot and the eldest daughter who’s 25 years and eldest son who is 21 years are so disrespectful and both are working and never put little from their wages down to support us in the house but they prefer to spend their wages on going on holiday but I don’t think their mum is helping them by not making them realise that they are an adult and they are supposed to be living on their own.
As a stepfather do I have legal rights to let them know that if they continue with their unacceptable behaviour they will have to leave the house.
Hi, I am the child of the person who wanted to kick me out. It is an extremely pathetic reason, for it was when I was ten years old. My sister was staying the night while visiting, and me and my father had to go to the veterinarian for my pet rabbit. I didn’t get ready in time, and instead of saying “It’s okay, be ready on time next time.” My father started an argument with me. And saying “I’m going to kick you out of the house!” I angrily agreed and ran into my sister on the way out. She had told me off, because of the argument which was started by my father. Which was very common, as I was mistreated as a child. People usually stood up for my adult sister when I was a kid. And she was going to go to University.
So, kicking YOUR child out is ILLEGAL. It is considered child abandonment. NEVER KICK YOUR CHILD OUT.
What can we do to break this cycle of behaviour-I have a duty to protect both.
shiv
I hate the UK system and law. Children are allowed to behave however they want and know they won’t be punished. In the space of 8 days, he’s stolen a car (& caught in it) , assaulted his Dad and put our windows through (all on cctv), stolen my engagement and wedding rings, threatened to assault his 8 yo brother and threatened to burn our house down. How much more should parents and families have to take!!???
I love them and just consider them as our flesh and blood, always have always will.
No parents are perfect, the same as no child is perfect. I know he has played up at times but when he never gets praise, gets locked in a stone shed and doesn't get cooked meals except Pot noodles, I can understand some or most of his behaviour.
Am I ok to take in my nephew legally?
He is at college but doesn't enjoy it and wants to try to get an apprenticeship, am I legally allowed to support him?
Do you know if I have any rights please?
Parenting
how come any age of 14 to 18 have a power over parents with no common sense laws. There 2 law that need to be void by doing that, parents will gain control and power over their child. One is, there is a law said that's child are allow to leave home on free will at at 14 to 17 year old which parents will have no control of child. Second is, Parents aren't allow to kick a child out for any reasons or beyond out of control, Which will put parents on crime charge and possibly face time jail. See that power child have. A minor Children's see that parents can't kick minor child out or Parents can't keep a minor child at home. How that's going solve a problem for a parents to have that power over there child??
Here, what it need to be done with a common sense law which parents will get that power back and regain their control,.. Make a new LAW that all minor who DISOBEYED parents,BEYOND OUT OF CONTROL,RUNNING AWAY,SNEAK OUT AT NIGHT and DRUG. Put them jail. It's must be at age 14 until they reach mature age of 18,
1. Any minor age 14 to 18 that DISOBEYED parents and beyond out of control will face up in jail until they reach age of 18.
First time will do 30 day believe in 2nd chance child could be possible open eyes. 2nd time will stay until age 18. Which will give a parents power back. Also it will keep the street less with minor running all over killing other for no reason also it's will keep them from join the gang or killing, all must be free from idle by doing nothing out of a time, that's why they get bored and end up breaking the law. That kind of common sense with law. Parents can be parents/law with law cop.
we need to get our power back as parents to where there will be no law for any minor to be emancipation or free will's on minor child to be free unless they 18. If a minor child can't followed rules at any home is breaking a law and it's more like a minor child will be breaking a law out in adult world. Break rule/law at home they will face a time jail. That's should be in future. Build a new jail for a Minor Children's Home..
A child that's break the parent/law, all parents have a right to sent child there. There is no need a proof or any reason of any necessary on any minor children's. Child have no power to speak because they are a minor period. Parents will have a right to do as they please with no questions from any authority over minor child. It's not necessarily need for court or from judges, they have no power over parents decision on which best for child. Build a big like home jail,school,train a jobs,army,hospital and many more for a future job, Correct or teach them in positive attitudes and by time they hit age at 18 will be free automatically, gradually from jail school, got job ready, place for them ready or back home up to them. Parents will have to pay for it to support whatever building is. Plux tax will cover that. I tell you this. Kids will not know power until they reach age
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