New child-friendly court forms to be used to seek children’s views in family and civil partnership actions from June

April 3rd 2019

The Family Law Committee of the Scottish Civil Justice Council has developed a new instrument to replace the current court forms used to seek the views of children in family and civil partnership actions. As member of the Family Law Committee from 2015 to 2018, Clan Childlaw’s Fiona Jones chaired a sub-group over recent years driving this work forward for the committee.

At the heart of the work was consultation with children and young people, and organisations that work with and represent them, and the new forms incorporate lots of their suggestions for making them more colourful and child-friendly. It is hoped also younger children will use the forms to give their views.

The new rules give clarity to procedural questions such as when to send the form and who should send it. Read more on the SCJC website here.

Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 and Ordinary Cause Rules 1993 Amendment) (Views of the Child) 2019

 

Read more about Clan Childlaw’s policy work on the voice of the child in court actions here.