Blank Space: Sophie’s struggle to register her baby’s birth

June 2025

On Tuesday, 17 June, Sophie’s experiences were shared in Parliament by MP Jen Craft as part of her Ten Minute Rule Bill to close the Blank Space faced by some bereaved mothers trying to register their baby’s birth. Here’s Sophie’s story…

When Sophie lost her partner Lawrence suddenly in March 2022, she was 35 weeks pregnant with their daughter, Kinley. Already a mum to Ruby, 14, and Carson, 8, who has special educational needs, Sophie faced the heartbreaking task of navigating life without Lawrence – a former chef training to become a counsellor. 

Sophie and Lawrence had been together since 2015 and he had proposed to her shortly after their son Carson was born. Lawrence was 31 when he died and Sophie was 28 (now nearly 32).

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Nothing could prepare the mum of three and former carer for the heartbreak of trying to register Kinley’s birth. When she arrived at the registrar’s in Leicester, she was told she wasn’t able to give her baby Lawrence’s surname. After requesting a second opinion from the manager, this was then accepted. She was then informed that, due to not being married to Lawrence at the time of his death, his details could not be put on their daughter’s birth certificate.

“It was a very upsetting, and distressing time, on what should have been a very special day,” Sophie recalls. “Registering our son together back in 2016 was one of Lawrence’s proudest moments. Knowing just how much this meant to him, it left me feeling heartbroken that we could not do the same for our daughter. I had to walk away with a blank space on her birth certificate where his name should have been."

As a lone parent claiming Universal Credit and without the means to afford legal representation, Sophie faced an uphill battle. With emotional support from family and friends, she eventually found the strength to begin the long and confusing legal process. Her initial application to court was returned requesting more information. When she finally received a court date, she was asked to undergo child custody mediation as well. To add insult to injury, the magistrate’s court had summoned Lawrence to attend the hearing too, even though he had died three years previously. This then prompted the proceedings to be treated as if it was a child contact arrangements case.

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"Nobody seemed to know what to do," Sophie says. Eventually, after being bounced between departments and advisors, someone at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) acknowledged the mistake and intervened on her behalf.

Despite the setbacks, Sophie persevered. She has ordered a DNA test for Kinley and her brother Carson – costing £149. She hopes this will be accepted as proof of Lawrence’s paternity when she has to go before the magistrate’s court on 3 July.

"The thought of having to go through a whole court case is so daunting,” she says. “It’s been exhausting, confusing and emotionally draining. But this matters so much.”

“Lawrence is still very much part of Kinley’s life,” she adds. “He will always be her dad. She didn’t get the chance to meet him but she still loves him and we talk about him every day. He has every right to have his name on her birth certificate. This means the world to me, and to his family, particularly his sister, and most of all, to Kinley as she grows up."