A child born to unmarried parents, parental responsibility for the child rests solely with the mother. Parental responsibility includes the power to make decisions relating to the child’s health, education, residence and religion, as well as the day-to-day caring for the child. Many unmarried parents living together will be happy to acknowledge the shared responsibility for their child and this can arranged by entering into a parental responsibility agreement. These agreements give the father the same responsibilities as the mother and clarify his role. If a parental responsibility agreement is not entered into, a father may obtain parental responsibility by acquiring a residence Order from the court stating that the child is to live with him. Alternatively, a father can arrange to receive guardianship under the mother’s will. If after the birth of the child the mother and the father marry, parental responsibility is automatically shared between both parents. A father’s obligation to maintain his child is not dependent upon an agreement; the assessment provisions of the Child Support Agency are available to both married and unmarried mothers.