Single parents are calling for the Constitution to be amended to explicitly recognise families that are not based on marriage [1], and for all State documents such as passports to be updated to reflect that diversity of family life.
Louise Bayliss, co-founder of single parents group, Spark, said: “Every single parent has to say their home is not a family home due to the conveyancing form. Every single parent has to go through legal hoops to get a passport for their child. It’s stressful, demeaning and can be expensive.
“We want the Constitution to recognise single parents and their children as families.”
Section 2 of the Family Home Protection Act 1976 a “family home” is recognised as a “dwelling in which a married couple ordinarily reside”.
This section of the act was, legal experts advised, originally devised to protect a woman’s home if her husband tried to sell it.
However, the legislation has not been updated and doesn’t take into account single-parent families.
Likewise, under the Passports Act 2008, consent is sought from both parents or guardians for the issuing of a child’s passport, regardless if one parent is absent.