Update on the UNCRC Bill

Yesterday the Scottish Government announced how it plans to bring the UNCRC Bill within the Scottish Parliament’s devolved powers following the Supreme Court ruling in October 2021.
Continuing Care, implementation, and the gap in rights protection

Legal Policy Manager Katy Nisbet writes about the importance of the right to Continuing Care and considers Clan Childlaw's role in helping children to access their rights.
Housing Rights and After Care

7 June 2022, 10.00 - 15.00. This training is provided as part of Clan Childlaw’s work to end youth homelessness. It will be of interest to anyone working with care experienced children and young people, including housing advisers, social workers, carers, and advocacy & support workers.
SOLD OUT - Housing Rights - Private rented sector

15 June 2022. 10.00 - 13.00 This free half day workshop will focus on the rights of private sector tenants. The workshop will be led by two expert lawyers, Mary-Claire Kelly from Clan Childlaw and Vicki Pirie from Shelter Scotland.

Sibling rights

We have long called for the law to be changed to prioritise care experienced children and young people's sibling relationships and are delighted that these changes are now law
Incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, currently before Scottish Parliament, would 'fully and directly' bring the UNCRC into Scots law. The legislation would mean public authorities and the law must respect and protect UNCRC rights.
Care Leavers' Rights

Although the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 introduced new care leavers' rights into law, many care leavers are not getting what they are entitled to and we have noticed many problems in the implementation of these rights and disparities between different local authority areas.
Children (Scotland) Act 2020

The Children (Scotland) Act 2020 introduces important changes to how legal proceedings involving children are conducted and creates new duties in relation to brothers and sisters in care, something Clan Childlaw has called for for many years.
Impact of childhood offending behaviour later in life

The law on criminal records checks has recently changed in Scotland to better reflect the very different nature of childhood offending behaviour from adult offending. Once it takes effect, the new system will better protect a child's right to grow up and move on from past mistakes. We worked to influence new legislation.
Right to privacy & the Named Person scheme

It is essential that children and young people's privacy rights are protected when professionals share information under the Named Person scheme. We intervened in the Supreme Court 'Named Person' case to put forward the children's rights perspective.
Access to justice & legal aid

Children and young people's rights can only be secured through proper access to justice. Access to legal aid must be independent and confidential.
Minimum age of criminal responsibility

The minimum age of criminal responsibility, currently 8 years old in Scotland, is to be raised to 12 under the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019

Access to Records
What changes will the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 make for children and young people?

The Children (Scotland) Act 2020 improves legal protection for children's right to be heard in courts and children's hearings and their right to a family life with their brothers and sisters - this blog explains the changes it will make
What we do

Clan Childlaw is Scotland's law centre for children and young people. We protect and strengthen children’s rights and improve their lives.
Changes to the Law for Brothers and Sisters

On 26 July 2021, the law changed on what local authorities and Children’s Hearings have to do to support brothers and sisters.
Sibling rights

We have long called for the law to be changed to prioritise care experienced children and young people's sibling relationships and are delighted that these changes are now law
Current Vacancies

We do not currently have any vacancies at Clan Childlaw.
Are you a child or young person without British citizenship? Here’s some advice on how to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme

Children and young people, including care leavers, must apply to the EU Settlement scheme if they are an EU, EEA or Swiss national. The deadline to apply is 30 June 2021.
UNCRC in Scotland: What does the UK Government’s legal challenge mean?

Our Legal Policy Manager Janet Cormack explains what has happened so far with UNCRC in Scotland and what could happen next.
Child law case summaries

Summaries of cases undertaken by Clan Childlaw.
Law student essay competition

To mark our 10-year anniversary, we asked law students around Scotland: What is the biggest children’s rights issue in Scotland and how can the law be used to resolve it? Congratulations to winner Michael Malvenda!