What does ‘Parental Responsibility’ mean?

Parental Responsibility is defined in section 3(1) of the Children Act 1989 as “all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property”. In practice, this means having the power to make important decisions about a child’s life, for example, decisions about the child’s education, medical treatment, and religion.