Shared Parenting Scotland

Shared Parenting Scotland has invited Gillian Bishop from Family Law in Partnership, the developers of ReFLEx Training, to speak at two free events in Scotland next month, in Glasgow on 9 May and Edinburgh on 10 May. ReFLEx Training was developed in England and Wales in 2022 to address the broader e

Canadian Professor of Social Work, Edward Kruk, will talk in Edinburgh next week on how family courts get in the way of resolving disagreement between parents after separation.

Sheriffs across Scotland make decisions every day in contact/residence cases that will affect the lives of children not just for this month or this year but will influence their relationships for the rest of their life. Their decisions are made ‘in the best interests of the child’. But h

The final Shared Parenting World Series webinar of 2022 will bring together judicial insight from Israel and Scotland. The webinar will be held on Thursday December 15 2022. Retired family judge, Philip Marcus, will set out the principles and practice of family courts in Israel which aim to take a p

Shared Parenting Scotland is hosting a series of webinars this autumn to draw together initiatives from other countries that could help separating parents in Scotland resolve disputes and find it easier to share the care of their children. Around the world jurisdictions are trying to find a way of r

Shared Parenting Scotland has endorsed the view of an English judge that court is not the forum for solving "relationship disputes". Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, issued a blunt reminder to parents that courts are not the best place to resolve such problems, which are at th

Shared Parenting Scotland has responded to a petition lodged with the Scottish Parliament Citizen Participation and Petitions Committee calling for full legal aid to be provided to all parents fighting for access to their children. The response is reproduced below. Setting aside our view that it is

Shared Parenting Scotland is seeking expressions of interest from relevant professionals to become coaches when it introduces the New Ways For Families approach to resolving protracted hostility between parents after divorce or separation. All coaches have a background in family law, mediation, fami

A new edition of Representing Yourself in the Scottish Family Courts, Shared Parenting Scotland's user guide for party litigants in child contact court cases, has been published. The 3rd edition of the guide has been updated to cover recent changes in the law and court rules including the workings o

Scotland should follow the lead of England in committing to publishing more family law judgments, campaigners have said. President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane has committed himself to a “major shift in culture and process” to increase public knowledge of what happens in

Shared Parenting Scotland has called for a "new vision" to breathe life into the Scottish government's proposed overhaul of child contact centres. The government has launched a consultation on changes to the Children (Scotland) Act 2020, proposing an overhaul of child contact centres, focusing on th

Shared Parenting Scotland has published a revised and updated guide to child welfare reports and child welfare reporters. Where separated parents cannot agree arrangements for time with their children they may end up in court, most often the Sheriff Court.

Shared Parenting Scotland is launching a series of online, interactive training courses to help separated parents control their own stress and to improve their communication skills.

The Lord President, Lord Carloway, has made it clear that parties in family actions should be able to participate in telephone hearings if they wish following reports that in some instances such hearings have only involved agents and sheriffs. In a letter to Shared Parenting Scotland, Lord Carloway

A survey has revealed support for changes in the law to promote shared parenting. Amendments to the Children (Scotland) Bill including ones on renaming contact and residence and on a requirement to consider equal residence time between parents by default will be debated by the Justice Committee next