Parental Responsibility is defined in law as meaning "all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law the parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property".

Mothers automatically have Parental Responsibility at the birth of their child. A father who is married at time of the child's birth, or who subsequently marries the mother of his child will also acquire Parental Responsibility for the child. An unmarried father, whose name is on the birth certificate for children born since 2003, will also have Parental Responsibility.

Other unmarried fathers can obtain Parental Responsibility either with the agreement of the mother or by Order of the Court.

Parental Responsibility can also be acquired by other people if, for example, there is a Residence Order in place, or if Parental Responsibility is transferred by a Will on a parent's death.

A Local Authority can acquire Parental Responsibility if a child has suffered significant harm, by Order of the Court, and Adoption removes Parental Responsibility from a child's birth parents, and transfers it completely to the adoptive parents. 

Parental Responsibility is very important as those with it can have a say in which school a child attends, what religion they practice, what medical treatment they receive, and many other issues. If two people with P.R. can't agree, then the Court can decide the matter.