Children and Family Relationships Act 2015

PART 12

Amendments to Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010

Amendment of section 2 of Act of 2010

135. Section 2 of the Act of 2010 is amended by the insertion of the following definitions:

“ ‘dependent child’ means a child who is—

(a) under the age of 18 years, or

(b) 18 years of age or over and—

(i) is, or will be or, if an order were made under this Act providing for periodical payments for his or her support, would be receiving full-time education or instruction at any university, college, school or other educational establishment and is under the age of 23 years, or

(ii) is suffering from mental or physical disability to such extent that it is not reasonably possible for him or her to maintain himself or herself fully;

‘dependent child of the civil partners’, in relation to a couple who are civil partners of each other, or either of those civil partners, means a dependent child—

(a) of both civil partners, or adopted by both civil partners under the Adoption Act 2010 , or in relation to whom both civil partners are in loco parentis, or

(b) of either civil partner, or adopted by either civil partner under the Adoption Act 2010 , or in relation to whom either civil partner is in loco parentis, where the other civil partner, being aware that he or she is not the parent of the child, has treated the child as a member of the family;”.