Children (Scotland) Act 1995 Review: our consultation response

(31 July 2018)

We have responded to the Scottish Government's public consultation 'Review of Part 1 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and creation of a family justice modernisation strategy'.

Read our consultation response here.

Latest

Sarah Campbell

Trainee Solicitor
Abi Wood

Trainee Solicitor
Urgent Homelessness Advice - Covid 19

If you need somewhere to live or are worried that you might become homeless contact us for help.
Coronavirus - Support and Information

Clan Childlaw is open and here to help. Our team of solicitors are here to give children and young people the legal help they need during the pandemic.

Urgent Homelessness Advice - Covid 19

If you need somewhere to live or are worried that you might become homeless contact us for help.
Current Vacancies:

Vacancies with Clan Childlaw
Have evictions been banned during Coronavirus?

Find out what you need to know about tenancies and evictions during Covid-19
Clan Childlaw welcomes important new legal protections for siblings passed by the Scottish Parliament today

25th August 2020: Today the Scottish Parliament passed the Children (Scotland) Bill, an important step forward for children's rights and legal protection for children's sibling relationships.
Clan Childlaw calls for participation rights for brothers and sisters in Children’s Hearings in the Children (Scotland) Bill

We are supportive of proposed amendments to the Children (Scotland) Bill. Stage 3 proceedings will take place in the Scottish Parliament on 25th August.
Brothers and Sisters in Children's Hearings - What did the Supreme Court decide? Panel Discussion took place 21st July

Lucy Frazer and Alison Reid from Clan Childlaw were joined by Lynda Brabender QC who represented ABC in the Supreme Court for a Child Law Network panel discussion exploring what the decision means for young people who would like to be part of children’s hearings being held for their brothers and sisters.
New Webinars and Toolkits on legal issues affecting children and young people

We've launched a series of recorded presentations and toolkits on legal issues our solicitors are helping care experienced children and young people with during the Covid-19 pandemic. The resources are free to download and explain the law, how to recognise when there's a legal issue, and steps to take to assert rights.
Press Release – Children’s Hearings held to be compatible with Human Rights in relation to brothers and sisters

18th June 2020: The Supreme Court today published its judgment in relation to Clan Childlaw’s leading case involving the rights of brothers and sisters in children’s hearings. Read our response to the judgment here.
Housing Law Response Project - Covid 19

Young people in Scotland can now get free expert legal advice to tackle homelessness from Clan Childlaw’s new Housing Law Response Project.
Research examining rights of children to participate in family law cases published

The research led by Prof. Kay Tisdall and Dr Fiona Morrison in which Clan Childlaw participated found a number of barriers and challenges to children’s participation in family proceedings in Scotland.

What we do

We are lawyers for children and young people in Scotland. We use our legal knowledge, and what we learn from the children we work with, to find ways to make the law work better for children and young people.
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!
Child law case summaries

Summaries of cases undertaken by Clan Childlaw.
Training

We provide lawyer-led training about children's rights and the law in Scotland. We use our legal expertise and experience to train lawyers, advocates, and frontline workers who support children and young people.
Alison Reid

Principal Solicitor and Chief Executive
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 were recently passed by the Scottish Parliament
Get legal help for a child or young person

Information for professionals, support, advocacy, and advice workers or foster carers seeking help with the law or a legal problem for a child or young person they are working with. You will find frequently asked questions, case studies and other information on this page.
Clan at 10

Events & Fundraising marking our 10th anniversary
A-Z resource library

Comprehensive library of material relating to children and young people's rights. This is reference point for all legal questions and problems children and young people might have.
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.

Training

We provide lawyer-led training about children's rights and the law in Scotland. We use our legal expertise and experience to train lawyers, advocates, and frontline workers who support children and young people. Read more

Launch of the Care Leavers' Law Service

On 18th June 2019 we welcomed nearly 100 colleagues from across the sector to the Lighthouse in Glasgow for an engagement and launch event for our new Care Leavers’ Law Service, a 5-year, Scotland-wide project funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Read more

UNCRC incorporation in Scotland - our consultation response

28th August 2019 - We are delighted the Scottish Government has committed to incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law. Read our response to the public consultation. Read more

What changes are there to children’s hearings during Covid-19?

New laws have been put in place for children’s hearings and for looked after children during Covid-19. This blog explains what it means. Read more

Courts Update

Read about what to expect if you are involved in a case in the Scottish courts. Read more