What is financial responsibilities to step-children

full-time-mum

Marisco wrote: »

:rotfl:Those take me back a bit!!!:eek: Along with, don't sit on cold stones you'll get piles, don't wash your hair when on your period, don't go out with wet hair, you'll get a cold, don't wear damp clothes you'll get rheumatism etc etc :rotfl: And we believed them!!! :eek:

along with you have to wear the leaf of your poppy pointing to 11 o'clock, nothing will cross the placenta, face will stick if the wind changes, bogey man....

cte1111

When I got married, I'm sure I read somewhere that if a step-child is treated as 'a child of the marriage', i.e. the step-parent voluntarily provides for them financially, they can be asked to pay support the step-child if the marriage breaks down.

Just done a quick search, here's a link:
http://www.beckett-solicitors.co.uk/userfiles/file/BeckettSolicitors-ChildMaintenance.pdf

Here you go:
Step-chi ldren
The courts may make maintenance or other orders for a step-child
who is a ‘child of the family’, that is a child whom the step-parent has
treated as their own child.

cte1111

And another link:
http://www.alternativefamilylaw.co.uk/en/cohabitation/child-maintenance.htm

Someone is a parent of a child for the CSA only if they are the mother or father of the child. This includes adoptive parents and parents with parental orders after surrogacy, but not step-parents, whether they are or were married or civil partners of the other parent. However, step-parents who are or were married or civil partners of the parent with whom the child lives may be ordered by a court to pay maintenance if the child was treated as a child of the family.

BitterAndTwisted

I'd be interested to hear how "a child of the family" might be defined. I find it difficult to understand how a step-child would not be treated as a child of the family? No bio-father on the birth-cert? No monies received from the bio-father the entire time step-father was married to mum? What?

Marisco

That's ridiculous! Why should a bloke who is the husband or boyfriend of the mother, be expected to pay for kids that are not his, when they split up!! Fair enough when they are all living together! So the mother would expect money from the "real" father as well as the step??? So, theoretically, she could claim from about 3/4 different men for the same kids???

rachbc

my bil paid for his step child - he's been mum since baby was 9m and was a teenage when they split. it was his choice though not imposed by a court.

Marisco

rachbc wrote: »

my bil paid for his step child - he's been mum since baby was 9m and was a teenage when they split. it was his choice though not imposed by a court.

That's totally different though, and good on him. But it should never be forced on someone to pay for kids that are not theirs. I wonder how many people know this can happen? I know I didn't, as it would never occur to me that a "step" should pay after a split!!

clairec79

I think there is something about if they were together (not just legally married but seperated) when the baby was born, so the 'step' father has been 'the' father from day 1 and has been treating the child as a biological child that may be what they meant, I seem to remember there being a case when a couple split up and the man then decided to dispute paternity (I think said child was over 10) it was found not to be his but he still had to pay child support - and I think the reasoning was that he had chosen to take on responsibility for that child even knwoing from the start there was the chance the child wasn't his biologically

mackemdave

Marisco wrote: »

What a strange question!! Why on earth would a "step" be liable for maintenance if they split up??? The only person liable to pay maintenance is the biological father.

Absolute load of rubbish....I married someone who had a daughter when we split I was liable to maintain the child as she was a "child of the family"

Mrs_P_Pincher

"Child of the family" - absolutely right. In your divorce petition you will list not only the children you have together, but any either of you have brought into the marriage.

What you won't get is two lots of maintenance.

Mrs P P