Can my daughters stepdad legally adopt her (UK family law)?
If you were married to your ex partner at the time of your daughters birth then you should both have joint parental responsibility in which case it would be illegal for you daughter to have her name changed without your consent. If you weren’t married to your ex at the time of your daughters birth, then your ex with have sole parental responsibility so she would be able to change your daughters name legally by deed pole without your permission. When it comes to the stepfather adopting your daughter, this could not be done without your agreement. Your ex would have to petition her local council 3 months before applying for the adoption. They would then make contact with yourself via a social worker, who would visit all concerned and then produce the findings to the court. The court would then set a date for the hearing and all can attend and then everybody gets to put their wishes and the court decides what they think is in the best interests of the child after hearing all of the report
