Attack against responsible fathers

IN your report “Child custody applications soared by 44% last year” (May 17), the reporter Noel Baker claimed that “a legal source said the increase was not due to more marriages falling apart in the recession, as divorce and separation statistics have remained consistent.

Instead, more unmarried fathers have lost their jobs, and to claim allowances for their children — such as additional social welfare or points towards social housing — they need a court order to show they have part-time or full guardianship or custody”.

Guardianship can be obtained quite easily with the consent of the mother of the child and so a court order is not necessary to claim any social welfare allowances as a Statutory Declaration, signed by both parents, will suffice.