# source/domain-registers/relationships-and-family-change.v1.yaml

Browser-rendered handoff of repository-authored YAML. Source identity: `source/domain-registers/relationships-and-family-change.v1.yaml`. Links and original summaries are shown; external source content is not redistributed.

    register_version: life-course-domain-register.v1
    pack_id: pack-6-family-health-care
    domain: relationships-and-family-change
    title: Relationships and family change
    status: population_complete
    observed_at: "2026-08-08"
    link_receipts: evaluation/link-receipts/pack-6-family-health-care-2026-08-08
    acquisition:
      mode: linked_reference_only
      snapshots_acquired: false
      source_response_bodies_retained: false
      publication_allowed: false
      rights_policy: link_and_summarize_source_family_decisions_recorded
    _source_defaults: &source_defaults
      access_method: public_html
      version_model: live_service_guidance
      update_cadence: check_before_each_use
      rights_basis: linked_reference_summary_only_source_family_decision_recorded
      observed_at: "2026-08-08"
      checksum: not_applicable_no_snapshot
    _family_defaults: &family_defaults
      primary_jurisdictions: [England, Wales]
      specialist_review: required
    route_sources:
      - <<: *source_defaults
        id: family-change-scotland-handoff
        jurisdiction: Scotland
        title: Births, deaths and family in Scotland
        owner: Scottish Government
        authority_role: scotland_family_change_handoff
        resource: https://www.mygov.scot/browse/birth-death-family
        coverage: Routes people to current Scottish marriage, civil partnership, family, care and representation information.
        exclusions: Does not determine status, legal rights, eligibility, safeguarding action or an individual court route.
      - <<: *source_defaults
        id: family-change-wales-handoff
        jurisdiction: Wales
        title: Find your local Family Information Service in Wales
        owner: Welsh Government
        authority_role: wales_family_support_handoff
        resource: https://www.gov.wales/find-your-local-family-information-service
        coverage: Routes parents and prospective parents to the responsible Welsh local family-information service and related support handoffs.
        exclusions: Does not establish that England and Wales registration, court or care routes are identical.
      - <<: *source_defaults
        id: family-change-northern-ireland-handoff
        jurisdiction: Northern Ireland
        title: Find out your rights in Northern Ireland
        owner: Northern Ireland Executive
        authority_role: northern_ireland_family_change_handoff
        resource: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/find-out-your-rights
        coverage: Introduces Northern Ireland marriage, civil partnership, separation, parental-responsibility, family-safety and wider rights handoffs.
        exclusions: Does not establish the applicable court, safeguarding, care or representation route.
    families:
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: marry
        title: Marry
        aliases: [get married, wedding legal requirements, give notice of marriage]
        description: Select the law and registration route for the place of marriage, give any required notice and complete the source-defined ceremony and registration steps.
        situations:
          - Two people intend to enter a legally recognised marriage.
        user_needs:
          - Find the correct registration authority, preliminaries and exception route without assuming one UK process.
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: marry-primary
          title: Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales
          owner: General Register Office
          authority_role: england_wales_marriage_guidance
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships
          coverage: Introduces England and Wales notice, document, ceremony and registration routes.
          exclusions: Does not establish Scotland or Northern Ireland procedure or decide capacity or immigration status.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: form-civil-partnership
        title: Form a civil partnership
        aliases: [register civil partnership, civil partnership notice, become civil partners]
        description: Select the applicable registration route, give any required notice and complete the source-defined formation and registration steps.
        situations:
          - Two people intend to form a legally recognised civil partnership.
        user_needs:
          - Identify the correct territorial rules, registrar and document route.
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: form-civil-partnership-primary
          title: Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales
          owner: General Register Office
          authority_role: england_wales_civil_partnership_guidance
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships
          coverage: Introduces England and Wales notice, eligibility, ceremony and registration routes.
          exclusions: Does not establish Scotland or Northern Ireland procedure or decide an individual application.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: change-name
        title: Change name
        aliases: [change legal name, deed poll, update records after name change]
        description: Choose an accepted evidence route for the intended name change and update each public or private record through its current process.
        situations:
          - A person wants organisations and official records to use a different name.
        user_needs:
          - Distinguish evidence of a name change from the separate work of updating each record.
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: change-name-primary
          title: Change your name by deed poll
          owner: HM Courts and Tribunals Service
          authority_role: england_wales_deed_poll_guidance
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll
          coverage: Explains England and Wales enrolled and unenrolled deed-poll routes and related evidence.
          exclusions: Does not update records automatically or establish Scotland or Northern Ireland evidence rules.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: divorce-or-dissolve-partnership
        title: Divorce or dissolve a partnership
        aliases: [get divorced, end civil partnership, apply for divorce]
        description: Use the applicable court route to end the legal relationship and handle children, money, property and immigration consequences through their separate processes.
        situations:
          - A spouse or civil partner wants to end the legal relationship.
        user_needs:
          - Find the correct court, application and linked family arrangements without receiving legal advice.
        dependency: regulated-family-law-adviser
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: divorce-or-dissolve-partnership-primary
          title: Get a divorce
          owner: HM Courts and Tribunals Service
          authority_role: england_wales_divorce_service
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/divorce
          coverage: Routes England and Wales applicants through current divorce eligibility, application and order stages.
          exclusions: Does not provide legal advice, decide financial or child arrangements or establish devolved procedure.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: resolve-parental-responsibility
        title: Resolve parental responsibility
        aliases: [get parental responsibility, parental rights agreement, apply for parental responsibility]
        description: Identify whether responsibility already exists and use the applicable registration, agreement or court route if a formal change or decision is needed.
        situations:
          - A parent or carer needs to establish, record or resolve legal responsibility for a child.
        user_needs:
          - Separate status evidence from child-arrangements, safeguarding and adoption decisions.
        dependency: regulated-family-law-adviser
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: resolve-parental-responsibility-primary
          title: Parental rights and responsibilities
          owner: Ministry of Justice
          authority_role: england_wales_parental_responsibility_guidance
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/parental-rights-responsibilities
          coverage: Introduces England and Wales responsibility status, agreements and court application routes.
          exclusions: Does not decide status, child arrangements, safeguarding action or Scotland or Northern Ireland law.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: arrange-child-maintenance
        title: Arrange child maintenance
        aliases: [child support payments, child maintenance service, calculate child maintenance]
        description: Choose a private or statutory maintenance route, keep the calculation and payment record and use the current review or enforcement path if arrangements fail.
        situations:
          - Separated parents or carers need to arrange financial support for a child.
        user_needs:
          - Find the jurisdiction-specific calculation, application, payment and dispute route.
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: arrange-child-maintenance-primary
          title: Child Maintenance Service
          owner: Department for Work and Pensions
          authority_role: great_britain_child_maintenance_service
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/child-maintenance-service
          coverage: Routes Great Britain users to statutory maintenance information, calculation and application services.
          exclusions: Does not calculate a personal amount locally or establish the Northern Ireland service route.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: adopt-child
        title: Adopt a child
        aliases: [apply to adopt a child, adoption agency assessment, become an adoptive parent]
        description: Start with the responsible adoption agency, complete its assessment and approvals and use the applicable court route for the legal order.
        situations:
          - A person or household is considering adopting a child.
        user_needs:
          - Navigate agency assessment, matching, placement, court and post-adoption support boundaries.
        dependency: registered-or-statutory-adoption-agency
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: adopt-child-primary
          title: Child adoption
          owner: Department for Education
          authority_role: england_wales_adoption_guidance
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/child-adoption
          coverage: Introduces England and Wales agency, assessment, matching and adoption-order stages.
          exclusions: Does not assess suitability, match a child, make an order or establish devolved procedure.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: get-domestic-abuse-support
        title: Get domestic abuse support
        aliases: [domestic violence help, coercive control support, emergency refuge help]
        description: Use emergency services for immediate danger and a current specialist route for safety, accommodation, legal protection and ongoing support.
        situations:
          - A person may be experiencing domestic abuse or supporting someone at risk.
        user_needs:
          - Reach urgent and specialist help without requiring the bundle to classify risk or disclose personal information.
        dependency: commissioned-domestic-abuse-support-provider
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: get-domestic-abuse-support-primary
          title: Domestic abuse how to get help
          owner: Home Office
          authority_role: uk_domestic_abuse_support_guidance
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help
          coverage: Provides UK emergency, helpline and specialist support handoffs with nation-specific routes.
          exclusions: Does not assess safety, create a safety plan, provide legal advice or replace emergency services.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: use-family-court
        title: Use a family court
        aliases: [family court application, child arrangements order, represent myself family court]
        description: Identify the exact family application, complete any required safeguarding or mediation step and follow the applicable filing, hearing and order route.
        situations:
          - A family dispute or protection issue may require a court decision.
        user_needs:
          - Find the responsible court and procedure without the bundle selecting a remedy or predicting an order.
        dependency: regulated-family-law-adviser
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: use-family-court-primary
          title: Looking after children if you divorce or separate
          owner: Ministry of Justice
          authority_role: england_wales_family_court_handoff
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/looking-after-children-divorce
          coverage: Routes England and Wales users to child arrangements, mediation and family-court information.
          exclusions: Does not provide legal advice, assess safeguarding risk or cover every family application.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: register-lasting-power-of-attorney
        title: Register lasting power of attorney
        aliases: [make an LPA, appoint attorney, register power of attorney]
        description: Choose the applicable authority and instrument, complete the donor and attorney steps and register it before relying on the authority it grants.
        situations:
          - A person wants to appoint others to make specified decisions if needed.
        user_needs:
          - Distinguish the territorial instruments, capacity boundary, registration and objection routes.
        dependency: regulated-legal-adviser
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: register-lasting-power-of-attorney-primary
          title: Make, register or end a lasting power of attorney
          owner: Office of the Public Guardian
          authority_role: england_wales_lasting_power_of_attorney_service
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney
          coverage: Explains England and Wales health, welfare, property and financial LPA creation and registration.
          exclusions: Does not assess capacity, provide legal advice or establish Scottish or Northern Ireland instruments.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: apply-for-deputyship
        title: Apply for deputyship
        aliases: [become court appointed deputy, court of protection deputy, manage affairs without LPA]
        description: Use the applicable court or guardianship route when a person cannot make specified decisions and no adequate existing authority is available.
        situations:
          - Someone may lack capacity for decisions that require formal continuing authority.
        user_needs:
          - Find the correct application, evidence, supervision and objection route without a capacity decision by the bundle.
        dependency: regulated-capacity-law-adviser
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: apply-for-deputyship-primary
          title: Become a deputy
          owner: Office of the Public Guardian
          authority_role: england_wales_deputyship_guidance
          resource: https://www.gov.uk/become-deputy
          coverage: Introduces England and Wales Court of Protection deputy applications and supervision.
          exclusions: Does not assess capacity, decide whether deputyship is needed or establish devolved instruments.
      - <<: *family_defaults
        id: get-family-carer-support
        title: Get family carer support
        aliases: [help for unpaid family carer, carers support, carer benefits and respite]
        description: Ask the responsible health or social-care body for a carer assessment and use the current support, benefits, respite and complaint routes that apply.
        situations:
          - A relative or friend provides unpaid care and needs practical, financial or wellbeing support.
        user_needs:
          - Connect assessment, commissioned support and benefits without assuming eligibility or local provision.
        source:
          <<: *source_defaults
          id: get-family-carer-support-primary
          title: Support and benefits for carers
          owner: NHS England
          authority_role: england_carer_support_guidance
          resource: https://www.nhs.uk/social-care-and-support/support-and-benefits-for-carers/
          coverage: Introduces England carer assessments, practical help, breaks, benefits and support handoffs.
          exclusions: Does not determine eligibility, local provision, a benefit award or the devolved care route.