Parenthood for Single Parent Families

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If you have made the decision that you would like to become a parent without a partner, there are a number of options open to you for getting your family started.

Donor Conception

The most obvious ‘starting point’ for single females to have children biologically is through the use of a sperm donor.

However, there may be other assisted conception technologies required if you run into fertility problems, which are not uncommon. This may require the use of donated eggs or potentially the use of a surrogate.

We would always advocate using a clinic for any form of assisted conception, as it brings with it more secure legal protections.

For more information about obtaining donor gametes click here, or surrogacy click here.

Surrogacy

Surrogacy is the most common choice of assisted conception for single males.

Surrogacy law in the UK is very strict. Find out more about surrogacy law here.

If you need to find an egg donor, you can do so by seeking either a known or unknown donor. Find out more about donor conception here.

Once you have your surrogate and your egg donor (who may also be the surrogate), we would always recommend using a fertility clinic to perform the insemination or IVF required. If you do not use a clinic to conceive, particularly where intercourse is utilised, the law becomes significantly more complicated as the law will no longer consider that to be a surrogacy situation.

Adoption

On average there are around 4,000 children in the UK waiting at any one time to be adopted. It is a common way for single parents to add to their family.

For full details about the adoption process, please click here.

Co-Parenting

Co-parenting is where two people agree to conceive a child and raise them together even though they are not in a relationship. It is quite common for single friends to choose to enter into co-parenting agreements with each other where they would both like a child but do not have a partner they would like to have a child with.

Entering into co-parenting agreements is entirely lawful, although comes at a high legal risk as there can only be two legal parents of the child and you need to think carefully about how your situation would change if either of you were to eventually form a relationship with someone.

If this option is the right choice for your family, it is important that you think carefully about the intentions post-conception and to make sure that everyone involved is on the same page. You should only ever enter into a co-parenting arrangement with someone you know and trust, and only once you are clear about the legal implications of doing so.

We can assist with preparing co-parenting agreements which set out how a child will be raised and each co-parent’s roles and responsibilities in relation to that child. They are not legally binding but are still valuable in helping you and your fellow co-parents to establish each other’s expectations from the arrangements. We offer this on a fixed-fee package.

If you would like to speak to one of our specialist family lawyers about your specific situation, please contact us.

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