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Letter 4
Joint parental responsibility, where
the father is absent and either his whereabouts is not known or you have
good reason for not wanting to contact the father
This page has two example letters:
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Letter 4a template is
for an absent father whose whereabouts is not known (if you haven't
already done so, please read section 5 of our article about changing
children's names.
Click here (opens new window) to see
section 5). |
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Letter 4b template is
for an absent father whose whereabouts is known but you have good
reason for not wanting to contact the father (if you haven't
already done so, please read section 6 of our article about changing
children's names.
Click here (opens new window) to see
section 6). |
Please use the appropriate example letter to explain your
situation. The example letters contains the minimum amount of information
we require. Your letter cannot be too long and you should include all
information that may be relevant.
If you are changing more than one child's name, please provide a separate letter for each child.
Information about the ways you can send your letter of consent to us 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 (of Letter 4.1) 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 4a template
(absent father - whereabouts is not known)
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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 a File Download window
opens).
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Fully completed example of Letter 4a
Letter 4b template
(absent father - good reason for not
contacting)
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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].
Although I know the whereabouts of the
father, I have good reason for not contacting him for his
consent. Since 2002, the father has been very abusive and
violent towards my [son/daughter]
and me. As a result, we left the father in April 2007 and
have not told him where we live for fear of him contacting us
and being subject to his violent and abusive acts.
I did report to incidents to the police and
have crime reference numbers. Social services are also
aware of the situation and a no-contact order was issued by [name
of court] on [date].
My child is old enough to understand the
situation and is very distressed at having to use the name of
someone who has been very violent and abusive toward [him/her].
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
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Where to send your signed letter of consent
Please send your signed letter of consent to us using one of the following methods:
1. Fax to 0333 444 8486 or 01376 530 112 (+44 1376 530 112 from overseas).
2. Scan your signed letter and email to
loc@deedpoll.org.uk
3. Post to either of the addresses below.
Please note, 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 or email your
letter but enclose it with your payment and/or benefit evidence.
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: 9 December 2009
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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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