FAMILY LAW
The co-parenting conundrum From understanding your rights to ensuring your child enjoys a disruption-free summer, Catherine Hufton gathers expert advice on navigating the holidays as a co-parent
W hether you’re recently an ex for many years, dividing childcare responsibilities can be hard. When you throw school holidays into the mix, things naturally become even more complicated. In fact, co-parenting is now more common than ever before. According to family law solicitor Clare Pilsworth, of Tees Law in Cambridge, as of 2023 there were approximately 3.2 million lone-parent households in the UK (using ONS data). A significant proportion of these are separated and are new to co-parenting or have been navigating the juggle with believed to be separated couples finding ways to co-parent. Now, in 2025, that number is estimated to have risen to approximately 3.5 million. If you’re a single parent, you’ll know the challenges co-parenting can present – especially during long breaks such as the six-week summer holiday. From agreeing
to a child going abroad without you, to ensuring childcare is split equally, and even how a child’s illness is managed, there’s a lot to think about and, fundamentally, to disagree upon. That’s why knowing where you stand legally is incredibly important. The legality of it all So, what basic legal principles should you be aware of when embarking on a co-parenting agreement? Clare says, for co-parents, the most important is parental responsibility, known as PR: “Holders of PR are responsible for making decisions about how a child is brought up – by what name they are known, where they attend school, with whom they live, what medical treatment they receive and whether the child can be taken out of the jurisdiction. “When there’s a disagreement between separated parents, considering what is in the best interests of the children is essential. This can be done by referring
to factors in what is known as the Welfare Checklist (Section 1(3) Children Act 1989), which considers the child’s wishes and feelings (dependent on their age and maturity), their needs, any risk of harm and the capabilities of the parents.” Clare also explains that, legally, there’s a ‘presumption of parental involvement’, which means that, unless the contrary is shown, it will be presumed to further a child’s welfare to have their parents involved in their lives. “But the involvement of the parents doesn’t necessarily have to be equal, nor does the involvement have to involve a division of the child’s time,” she clarifies. Fiona McLeman, managing partner at FM Family Law, adds that both parents with parental responsibility do, however, have equal rights when making decisions about a child’s welfare. “This includes any decisions about schooling, healthcare and travel. It’s crucial to remember that
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