This act is wide-ranging in its reform of the law regarding children. It provided for the legal regulation and recognition of donor-assisted human reproduction. It changed the law on guardianship of children. Before the act married parent automatically had guardianship rights over their children and the natural mother had automatic guardianship rights. The natural father did not have automatic guardianship rights although he could go to court to establish those rights or the natural mother could extend those rights to him by statutory declaration. This act automatically gives guardianship rights to natural fathers provided that they have been cohabiting with the natural mother for at least 3 months after the birth of a child in common. It also allows same-sex couples, either in a civil partnership or cohabiting, to apply for guardianship rights over any child they are raising together. It also allows for other relatives of a child such as, grandparents, aunts, uncles to also apply for guardianship rights over a child they are raising. The act changed the law on adoption and civil partners and cohabiting couples (either opposite-sex or same-sex) can apply for adoption after they have been living together for 3 years. The act extends adoption leave to civil partners and to cohabiting couples. This act has been modified by the Adoption (Amendment) Act 2017.
