The law that would recognise me as a parent was passed before my daughter was conceived, but she’ll be nearly two years old before I’ll be legally recognised as her parent, if the current timeframe is to be trusted. We could not have envisioned that the legislation would take so long to commence and many LGBT+ families are now uncertain as to how to best access legal protections for their relationships with their children.
Aoife O’Driscoll, Anna Mc Carthy Adams, and baby Finn
The practicalities of implementing the Children and Family Relationships Act, which was passed in 2015, before the marriage equality referendum happened and which will grant many people a legal relationship to their child, are still being worked on by various government departments. People are still without the much sought after and much fought for legal protections that the law offers. Before delving into the detail of what we’re waiting on, let’s look at what is available to parents right now.