Children

C(PRA2) form: agree that a step-parent has parental responsibility

Form C(PRA2) is a step-parent parental responsibility agreement. When it is recorded, a step-parent who is married to, or the civil partner of, a parent of the child has parental responsibility in addition to the parents.

Fill in the C(PRA2) form with Wren

How Wren helps with the C(PRA2)

Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.

Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the C(PRA2) becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official C(PRA2). You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.

Time and money

On your own: A day or more
With Wren: About an hour for most forms
Solicitor for this form: £740 to £1,2403 to 5 hours

A solicitor’s time for the C(PRA2) can run to £1,240. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes about an hour for most forms rather than a day or more.

Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.

Official title: Ask the court to witness your step-parent parental responsibility agreement: Form C(PRA2)
Edition: 02.24 (2 pages: the agreement and its notes). A bilingual Welsh and English version is also published.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
The law: Children Act 1989, section 4A(1)(a): a parent with parental responsibility, and any other parent who has it, agree that the step-parent shall have it.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
One child per form: Put the name of one child only; use a separate form for each childSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who witnesses it: A justice of the peace, a justices' clerk, an assistant to a justices' clerk or an authorised court official. Not a solicitor.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
When it takes effect: Only once it has been received and recorded at The Central Family CourtSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
When it ends: By a court order, or when the child reaches 18Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who must agree: Both living parents with parental responsibilitySource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Only one parent with parental responsibility: The form says to delete the section for the other parentSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the C(PRA2)

A child's parent with parental responsibility, the other parent if they have it too, and the step-parent. GOV.UK says both living parents with parental responsibility must agree.

When it is used

At any time while the child is under 18, if everyone with parental responsibility agrees. Step-parents do not get parental responsibility automatically, even when married to the child's parent.

Before you start

Proof that each parent signing has parental responsibility, such as the full birth certificate with a marriage or civil partnership certificate, a court order or a registered agreement.
The step-parent's marriage certificate or certificate of civil partnership.
Photo identification with a signature for each person signing.
The child's details and each person's full name and address.

How to fill in the C(PRA2)

Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.

The child

You give the child's full name, gender, date of birth and the date of their 18th birthday.

Parent A, the other parent and the step-parent

Each person gives a name and address. If only one parent has parental responsibility, the section for the other parent is deleted.

Signing in front of a witness

Take the unsigned form to a local office of the family court or The Central Family Court. A justice of the peace, a justices' clerk, an assistant to a justices' clerk or a court official authorised by the judge to administer oaths watches each of you sign and completes the certificate of witness. A solicitor cannot witness your signature. The parents take proof of their parental responsibility and the step-parent takes the marriage or civil partnership certificate.

Sending it to be recorded

Make copies for each person who signed and send them with the original form, and copies of the original certificates, to The Central Family Court at the address in the notes.

Prepare your C(PRA2) with Wren Family

Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.

Get started

Free for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.

What happens after you send it

The Central Family Court records the agreement and keeps the original form. It stamps the copies with the court's seal and sends them back. Keep your copy in a safe place: it is the record that you have parental responsibility.

Common mistakes

Signing the agreement before you get to court. The notes say do not sign it: you sign in front of the witness.
Putting more than one child on a form. Each child needs a separate agreement.
Asking a solicitor to witness it. The notes say a solicitor cannot witness your signature.
Taking the birth certificate as proof of identity. It is not accepted; you need photo identification with a signature.
Thinking the agreement works as soon as it is signed. It takes effect only once it is received and recorded at The Central Family Court.

Common questions

Does marrying a child's parent give a step-parent parental responsibility?

No. GOV.UK says step-parents do not automatically get parental responsibility, even if they are married to the child's parent.

What if the other parent will not agree?

A step-parent can apply to the court for a parental responsibility order on form C1 instead, usually after attending a MIAM and sending form FM1 with the application.

Does the other parent lose parental responsibility?

No. The agreement gives the step-parent parental responsibility in addition to those who already have it.

Where these facts come from

These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.

Last checked against its sources on 7 October 2026. How we check our pages.