Paternity Testing Guide: One Child and One Father Testing

In recent times, over half of the children born in the UK annually are born to unmarried parents. The societal stigma associated with having children outside of marriage has decreased making it more common for couples to have children without being married. DNA testing for father and child only in the UK can be utilised to establish the biological father of the child.

DNA testing for father and child only in the UK helps many families, providing clarity and peace of mind regarding biological relationships. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of at-home paternity testing for one child and one father from thatDNAcompany®. 

You’ll also learn about the necessity of participant consent, the test’s turnaround time, and the purpose of the results. Remember, these tests are for personal information, and if you need a test for legal or immigration purposes, you’ll require a separate procedure from dadcheck®gold.

What Is At-Home Paternity Testing?

At-home paternity testing involves collecting DNA samples from the comfort of your home to determine the biological relationship between a father and a child. This method is convenient and private, allowing you to conduct the test without visiting a clinic or laboratory. 

The process of  DNA testing for father and child only in the UK involves a simple cheek swab from both the father and the child.

The Importance of Participant Consent

Before you proceed with the DNA testing for father and child only in the UK, obtaining consent from all parties involved is needed. Consent ensures that the test is conducted ethically and legally. For children under 16 years, the consent of the legal guardian is required. This step respects the rights and privacy of the individuals being tested.

Buying DNA Testing for Father and Child Only in the UK

The demand for paternity testing options has soared in recent years. Some reports have revealed that there are thousands of paternity tests sold on an annual basis throughout the UK.

With this in mind, the first thing you’ll need to do when you would like to administer a paternity test is select the best possible option. It would be worth doing your homework to see which paternity test options in the UK are considered to be the best options of the bunch. 

thatDNAcompany® has been providing DNA tests to the public for over 20 years making us one of the leading and trusted DNA testing laboratories in the UK. We are rated “Excellent” on Trustpilot from previous customers with lots of positive feedback. 

That DNA Company: Your Source for DNA Testing for Father and Child Only in the UK

thatDNAcompany® provides accurate and reliable DNA testing services. Our 1 Child & Alleged Father Paternity Test Kit is specifically designed to establish the biological relationship between a father and child. 

In cases where the alleged father is not biologically related to the child, the test results will be conclusive with 100% certainty. If a biological relationship exists, the results are expected to show over 99.999% certainty that the tested male is indeed the father of the child. 

Our Commitment to Quality and Privacy

At thatDNAcompany®, we understand the sensitivity of paternity testing. Our tests are designed to be accurate, reliable, and confidential. The sampling kit is sent to you in discreet packaging with no branding on the outer envelope to suggest the contents of the package. We also post by Royal Mail Tracked 24 as standard to ensure the package arrives with you swiftly. There is no need to sign for the envelope, it’ll go straight through your letterbox. We use advanced technology and adhere to strict quality control measures to ensure you receive trustworthy results.

Personal Information DNA Testing

We are aware that paternity tests are often called peace of mind DNA tests. However, the result of a DNA test may not give you peace of mind, depending on your circumstances.

As per ethical guidelines, at thatDNAcompany®, we generally prefer to use the term “personal information DNA testing.” This terminology reflects our commitment to providing you with information while acknowledging the complex emotions that may accompany the results.

Taking a One Child and One Father DNA Paternity Test

Once you decide to use DNA testing for father and child only from thatDNAcompany®, you can place an order and have it delivered directly to your home. From there, you’ll need to get both the child and the alleged father who will be taking a paternity test together so that they can go through the paternity testing process.

Families can now take their samples in the comfort of their own homes which can be much easier for children, using the 1 child & alleged father paternity test from thatDNAcompany®. 

We do recommend that the mother of the child takes part in the test and she is always included for free in the testing. However, if the mother does not participate and any person other than the mother signs a consent form for the child under 16 years, we will always ask for evidence of their parental responsibility to the child. 

This can be a digital copy of the child’s Birth Certificate showing the father’s name or the marriage certificate to the child’s mother at the time of the birth. 

Here are the steps you can take instead while you’re having a child and an alleged father take a DNA paternity test.

Step 1: Open the Paternity Test

When you first receive a paternity test, you should start things off by ensuring you have ordered the right type of test for your requirements. You’ll need it to be able to do DNA testing for a father and child only in the UK for “personal information” purposes. 

You don’t want to order the other paternity tests that thatDNAcompany® sells, such as this DNA paternity test for a child and two alleged fathers, or two children with one alleged father. Ensure that you are getting the 1 Child & Alleged Father Paternity Test Kit.

Open the kit box and check its contents. It will contain the following items inside:

• Consent forms (one per donor)
• Labelled sampling swabs
• UK prepaid return envelope – Tracked 24
• Information leaflet
• Receipt form

All our kits are packed and checked by another member of our team so it is unlikely anything would be missing. But if you are unsure, please contact us or call 0203 603 1189 so we can go through with you exactly what is there and how to conduct the paternity testing. 

Step 2: Sign the Consent Forms for a Paternity Test

In the UK, DNA paternity tests cannot be carried out legally if all parties over the age of 16 do not consent to them. So before you start administering DNA testing for father and child only in the UK, you should read over the consent form and give all those who will be participating in a paternity test the opportunity to read over it.

At this point, the consent form for a paternity test will need to be signed by everyone over the age of 16 years so that it can be sent back along with the test itself. thatDNAcompany®will not be able to process a sample if this consent form isn’t signed and included with the returned samples. 

For children under 16 years, we prefer where possible that the mother signs the consent form. If any person other than the mother will be signing the consent form then please send us evidence of Parental Responsibility to the child. This might be the child’s Birth Certificate showing the father named, or the Marriage Certificate to the child’s mother. Note we are unable to process samples consented by anyone other than mother, unless we have received the relevant evidence of their Parental Responsibility to the child. 

Step 3: Prepare for a Paternity Test

Just before a paternity test is taken, everyone involved in the process should wash their hands to avoid any contamination of the samples. Those who are going to have samples collected during paternity testing should do the following:

• Avoid eating and drinking for 1 hour before a paternity test.
• Steer clear of smoking before taking a paternity test.

Taking these simple steps should help avoid any delays in obtaining your results. 

Step 4: Take the DNA Testing for Father and Child Only in the UK

Taking a paternity test should be easy for most people as long as you follow the instructions included in your kit. You’ll also need to pay close attention to the labels on the sampling swabs to ensure that the correct swabs are used for each participant.

Here are the steps you’ll need to go through while doing DNA testing for a father and child only in the UK:

1. Take the labelled swab for a child and break the “sterile” seal on it.
2. Remove the swab from its container without touching its cotton-ended tip.
3. Insert the swab into a child’s mouth and press it against their inner cheek.
4. Move the swab in a circular motion about ten times.
5. Place the swab back into its container and close it shut.
6. Repeat this process for the alleged father.

The only time when you might deviate slightly from this process is when you’re dealing with a baby or a very young child. In this case, you can place the tip of their swab in between their lower lip and gums. It might make it much easier for you to obtain their DNA without them beginning to cry and having to take a break before resuming the process.

Step 5: Send the Paternity Test Back to Us

Once you’ve collected DNA samples from both a child and an alleged father, you can place each of their swabs and the signed consent forms into the UK prepaid return poly envelope that was included in your kit. 

You can then post it at a Post Office or arrange a Royal Mail home collection for free and have the DNA paternity test sent to thatDNAcompany®’s lab for testing.

If you wish to top-up the delivery to Guaranteed Next Day Delivery, please take the sealed poly envelope to the Post Office and top-up the payment as needed.

Make sure to keep the receipt form that came in the original kit. It’ll contain the case number for your kit, which will come in handy if you need to reach out to thatDNAcompany® at any point.

Turnaround Time: Obtaining Results for a DNA Paternity Test

After you send back your kest kit, thatDNAcompany® should receive it within just a day or two, but please remember, Royal Mail delivery is out of our control and the only way to guarantee a quick delivery is for you to top up the delivery method at the Post Office to a Guaranteed Next Day Delivery. 

Once we have received all properly consented samples, we will notify the ordering party by e-mail of the expected results due date and we will begin processing the paternity test.  It will take up to two working days to send your paternity test results back to you. You’ll also have the option to pay a little extra to get these paternity test results within just one working day.

Please remember we do not operate on weekends or Bank Holidays and so any timescales are always in “working days”.

Interpreting Your DNA Testing Results

Understanding and interpreting your paternity test results accurately enables you to make well-informed decisions based on the reliable information obtained. Here’s how you can interpret the results from the DNA testing for father and child only in the UK:

Understanding Your Paternity Test Results

When you receive your results, you’ll find a clear indication of whether the tested man is the biological father of the child. When the result is in favour of paternity, i.e. the tested alleged father is found to be the biological father of the tested child, the report will include a probability percentage. A result of 99.99% or higher usually confirms paternity. 

When a tested alleged father is excluded from being the biological father of the child, the result will be 100% conclusive and we will state on the report that he is not the biological father of the child. 

Personal Information Only

Note that the results from at-home paternity testing are for personal information purposes only. These tests provide you with the knowledge you seek but cannot be used for legal or immigration-related matters. If you need a paternity test for legal purposes, you’ll need to visit our sister service, dadcheck®, which offers tests suitable for legal documentation.

Order a One Child and One Father Paternity Test Today

Going through the paternity testing process can be a difficult time for everyone involved. thatDNAcompany® has made it so simple for those with questions surrounding the paternity of a child to get answers to them.

If you’d like to perform DNA testing for father and child only in the UK, order the 1 Child & Alleged Father Paternity Test Kit from us. It’ll include everything that you’ll need to do DNA paternity testing in a timely fashion so that you can find out the truth about a child’s paternity. 

Contact us today if you have any questions about our different paternity testing options. Order a one-child and one-father paternity test in the UK today!