Commentary on Sections Part 4 – Civil Partnership: Northern Ireland.Introduction Chapter 5 - Children Section 199: Parental responsibility, children of the family and relatives
378.This section amends various provisions of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (“the Children Order”) to include civil partners in a way that corresponds to the provisions that apply to married couples.
379.Subsection (2) amends the definition of “child of the family” in Article 2(2) of the Children Order to include a child of both civil partners and any other child who has been treated as a child of the family by both civil partners, unless the child had been placed with the civil partners - by a local authority or a voluntary organisation - as foster parents.
380.Subsection (3) amends the definition of “relative” in Article 2(2) of the Children Order to replace “by affinity” with “by marriage or civil partnership”.
381.Subsection (4) amends Article 7(1C) of the Children Order to enable a civil partner to acquire parental responsibility of their civil partner’s child in the same way as a person who is married to the parent of the child (but is not that child’s parent).