Category: Child law

UPDATE on Deprivation of Liberty (DOLs) cases between Scotland and England and Wales

* UPDATE * The Extra Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session issued a Note shortly before Christmas in the case of City of Wolverhampton Council and ors… Read more

Surrogacy- Parental Orders in Scotland. What is going on?

Many will have seen the positive press coverage today (such as here) around surrogacy and parental orders arising from the research carried out by Dr Kirsty Horsey at the University… Read more

Taking Account Of The Views Of Children and M v C

In court actions relating to children the practice of seeking the child’s views before a decision is made is well established. Read more

Be Part Of Shaping The Law!

Attention to detail is often the difference between something good and something great. Read more

From Family Mediation Lothian to Family Journeys - The Way Ahead

Family Mediation Lothian, or FML as it was often called, has long been recognised and relied upon as a valuable resource, most particularly, for the provision of contact centres and… Read more

Scots Law Incorporates the UNCRC- Time to Revisit the Age to Marry?

Today the Scottish Parliament voted unanimously to incorporate the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) into Scots law. Read more

Legal Aid for FLAGS Family Law Arbitration?

In the minutes following the passing into law of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 it's curious to be saying that we can't be completely sure whether we are going to have… Read more

Children (Scotland) Bill- soon to be Act

The Children (Scotland) Bill goes before the full Parliament today for the final vote on the detailed amendments and on whether the Bill will become law. Read more

Children (Scotland) Bill: Sections 12 and 21- Principles Underpinning Orders

The seventh post in our series on the Children (Scotland) Bill looks at sections 12 and 21, which deal with the extension of general principles that underpin the making of… Read more

Children (Scotland) Bill: Secs 8 & 13 Child Welfare Reporters & Curators

In this, our sixth post on the Children (Scotland) Bill, Susan Oswald looks at two sections of the Bill- those that relate to child welfare reporters and curators ad litem. Read more

Children (Scotland) Bill: Sec 20 Enforcement Powers for Orders From Outwith Scotland

What do you do if you have an English, or Northern Irish, court order and your child ends up in Scotland? Whilst many people know that there are three distinct legal… Read more

Children (Scotland) Bill: Sec 19 Births Registered Outside the UK

The Children (Scotland) Bill and proposals to change the law on the conferral of parental responsibilities and rights on parents when a birth is registered outside the UK. Read more

Legal Aid for Family Law Arbitration and the Children (Scotland) Bill UPDATED

Could we be about to see legal aid for arbitration in family law cases?  Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland and Convener of the Justice Committee, has an amendment to the… Read more

Children (Scotland) Bill- an Overview

Yesterday in the first blog of our series on the Children (Scotland) Bill we gave you some background on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Read more

The Children (Scotland) Bill and the UNCRC

There are big changes to child law in Scotland coming. Read more

What's in a name?

I found myself asking this question last week following the birth announcement from Tesla’s Elon Musk and the unusual name he and his partner have chosen for their son: X… Read more

Contact with your child during lockdown- with Dr Lucie MacKinlay

I spoke with Dr Lucie MacKinlay, a chartered Clinical Psychologist who has worked for the NHS since 2003, and who also provides assessments to the courts in contact and residence… Read more

Lockdown and children moving between homes

For many of my clients the current “lockdown” has had immediate implications for arrangements for contact with their children. Read more