Responsibility For Child Or Young Person (Info)
Main Responsibility
Main responsibility for a child or young person should be given its normal everyday meaning, that is, someone who the child or young person is normally living with, and who is the main person who takes responsibility for the child or young person.
Facts that you should consider when deciding who has main responsibility include
- Where the child keeps the majority of their belongings such as clothes, toys
- Who is responsible for the day to day spending for the child such as buying clothes, food and providing pocket money
- Who is main contact for school / nursery / child care
- Who is responsible for the health care and hygiene of the child such as making appointments with the doctor / dentist, doing the child’s laundry
- What is the registered address for contact for the school / nursery / child care, healthcare
- Who has legal custody for the child
Note: This list is not exhaustive
Shared Responsibility
Where there are competing claims and a child or young person normally lives with two or more persons for equal amounts of time, the child or young person should be included as part of the family who has main responsibility for them.
Those making the competing claims may jointly agree on which of them has main responsibility for the child or young person.
Disputes In Responsibility
Where two or more people are unable to agree who has main responsibility for a child or young person, the Board may determine who has the main responsibility based on the information available to them at the time of the decision.
Claimant in prison
Single claimants who are in prison either on remand or serving a custodial sentence and who are responsible for a child or young person under 20 can still satisfy the eligibility criteria for CTC.
If they satisfy the eligibility criteria, they will be entitled to CTC unless a claim to CTC is made by the person who is looking after the child or young person.
