Legal workshops: Twenty-two years of the Scottish Parliament in child and family law

Legal workshops: Twenty-two years of the Scottish Parliament in child and family law

In a series of three full-day workshops this year, funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, academics and practitioners will critically review the role and impact of the Scottish Parliament on child and family law in Scotland.

2019 marks the twentieth anniversary of the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament. child and family law is a devolved field of law regulating adult relationships, the care and upbringing of children including private relations within families and relations between children, their families and the state. 

Since 1999, the Scottish Parliament has passed a number of landmark bills relating to children, families and adult relations. These include, e.g., Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006, Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011, Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018.

This extensive process of reform is set to continue. For example, in May 2018 the Scottish government launched a wide-ranging consultation on the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 Part One.  The Family Law (Scotland) Bill 2019 is expected in the Autumn, and a bill incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is widely anticipated in 2020.

The workshops organisers are Dr Richard Whitecross and Dr Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane of Edinburgh Napier University Law department.

Workshop contributors include Professor Elaine E Sutherland, Professor Kay Tisdall, Professor Jane Mair, Professor Kenneth Norrie, Kate Dowdalls QC, Scottish law commissioner, Janys Scott QC, Juliet Harris, director of Together Scotland. Lady Wise will close the Workshop series. 

Workshops 1 and 2: 10th And 11th October 2019: Venue – Rivers Suite at Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh Napier University. These workshops will focus on general developments in the fields of child and family law since 1999 and also on children, children’s rights and the future.

Workshop 3: 21st November 2019: Venue – the Royal Society of Edinburgh building, George Street, Edinburgh.  This day will have as its focus adults and Family Law.  

The workshops are ticked but free to attend. Places are limited to 40.

Places can be booked on Eventbrite here:

BOOK DAY 1

BOOK DAY 2

BOOK DAY 3

Share icon
Share this article: