What happens to children on the death of a parent?
The answer to this depends on your particular circumstances and the plans that you have put in place. If there is no surviving parent with ‘parental responsibility’, and no appointment of a guardian has been made, then the child becomes the responsibility of the Court. Until such time as the Court appoints a guardian, the child may be taken into care. In contrast, if a guardian has been appointed, then responsibility for the child’s care passes on the second parent’s death to that guardian. The guardian is likely to be a person known to the child or perhaps someone such as a step-parent who has been living with the child. Appointing a guardian Perhaps the most important step you can take in making plans for your child is to appoint a guardian. A guardian is a person who will effectively ‘step into the shoes’ of a deceased parent and assume responsibility for the child. Appointing a guardian, rather than leaving the decision to a court, has several important advantages: • you can choose
