Legal Services 
SPEAK DIRECTLY TO FAMILY LAWYERS
24 HOURS A DAY.
Children
When parents separate they often have to make difficult decisions about their children. Parents often find it difficult to agree with the best way forward for their children. We are sensitive to these issues and have many years’ experience in assisting parents resolve their disputes in the best possible interests of the children.Often the parents cannot agree with whom the children should live with or how often each parent should see the children. A Residence Order refers to whom a child should live with. A contact order specifies the contact a parent without residence has with the child. Often Grandparents also seek these orders in relation to children. The matter can often be resolved through negotiation but frequently the court has to resolve these matters.
We also deal with matters of international child abduction. When a parent takes a child from the jurisdiction to another jurisdiction without the consent of the other parent or court. We seek to get the child returned to Scotland. We also deal with situations where one parent wishes to take the child abroad to live. They require the consent of the other parent or order of court in certain circumstances.
When there is a risk one parent will abduct the child from the other parent we can obtain an interdict against removal of the child from that parent at court. When a child has been wrongfully removed from one parent we can seek to obtain an order from court for delivery of that child back to the parent. We deal with matters when there is a dispute between parents about the child’s welfare, for example, what school the child should go to. This is known as a specific issue order.
If the local authority becomes concerned about the welfare of the child we can also become involved in children's panel and children's referral proofs at the Sheriff Court.
