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Letter 4
Joint parental responsibility where
the father is absent and his whereabouts in not known
The following letter is an example of what we require from a mother who
has joint parental responsibility with the father but the father's
consent cannot be obtained because he is absent and his whereabouts is
not known. The example letter below contains the minimum amount of
information we require and it includes details about the steps taken to
contact the absent father. This letter cannot be too long and it must
be personalised with your circumstances.
If you are changing
more than one child's name, please provide a separate letter for each
child.
If you haven't already done so, you are advised to read section 5 of our article about changing
children's names before you submit your application.
Click here
(opens new window)
to see the article.
Our fax and postal address details can be found at the bottom of this
page.
If you have Microsoft
Word for Windows versions 2002, 2003 or 2007 on your computer, you can download an interactive
Word template that will make it easy to produce your letter of
consent. Look out for this download icon at the bottom of the
letter template
If you do not have Word, please copy and paste the template text into
your word processor.
Letter 4 template
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[Your home
address]
[Your daytime
telephone number]
[Date]
To whom it may concern.
Dear Sirs,
I, the undersigned, having parental responsibility
for [insert child's current full name
here] consent to [his/her]
name being changed to [insert new full
name here].
I am unable to obtain the father's consent
because for the last four years I have not known his
whereabouts. I have written to the father's last known
address but I have not had a reply. I have also contacted
several relatives but they do not know his whereabouts either.
The Child Support Agency have also been unable to locate him.
Since the father left us in July 1998, he
has had very little contact with us. I understand he moved
away from the area in 2002 and since then we have had no contact
whatsoever. He pays no maintenance and does not even send
his child birthday or Christmas cards.
My child is now old enough to understand the
situation and is very distressed at having to use the name of
someone who has, for many years, shown no interest in [him/her]
whatsoever.
Note: This last paragraph is
only suitable if your child is old enough to understand the
situation (age 6 or 7 upwards) and is upset with having to use
the father's surname.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Your full name]
Mother
Click
on the icon to download an interactive Word document for this letter.
 Click on the Open button
if you see a File Download window.
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Fully completed example of Letter 4
Where to fax or post your letter of consent
You can fax your letter of consent to
0333 444 8486 (+44 333 444 8486 from overseas) or post it to either of the addresses below.
If you are paying by cheque or postal order, or claiming a fee reduction
for receiving a qualifying benefit, we suggest you do not fax your
letter but enclose it with your payment and/or benefit evidence.
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Freepost address
(if posting in the UK)
Using our Freepost address costs nothing
but it takes about 3 working days to reach us. If you want your
letter to arrive sooner, or if you are overseas, use the address below
Full postal address
Use this address if you want your letter
to arrive sooner or if you are posting from overseas. Don't forget to affix
the correct postage
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Write
FREEPOST DEED POLLS on the envelope:
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Last updated: 8 January 2008
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will not be held liable or responsible for any loss, damage or other
inconvenience caused as a result of any inaccuracy or error within
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© UK Deed Poll Service, All Rights Reserved.
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