Clan Childlaw

Clan welcomes the incorporation of the #UNCRC into Scots Law as a significant step towards a Scotland where all children and young people’s rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. Today is just the beginning. Our strategic plan for 2024-27 is dedicated to empowering children and young people to use those rights to get the changes they need in their lives. Article 12 of UNCRC gives every child the opportunity to be heard and represented in legal decision-making processes that affect them. Clan will work to build a community of lawyers committed to child-centred practice, so that more children can get lawyers to help them use their UNCRC rights, through our new Lawyers for Children membership: https://lnkd.in/e5tnna6z Children need lawyers that work differently. In partnership with the Law Society of Scotland, we will train lawyers in the skills they need to be lawyers for children. Find out more about our Lawyers for Children certification course here: https://lnkd.in/euKiYcqf We want the next generation of lawyers to start out in the profession alive to the possibility of specialising as a children’s lawyer. Clan will provide Diploma students at Glasgow University with extra-curricular learning on working as a lawyer for children. Find out why children need lawyers that work differently here: https://lnkd.in/eSFREXNV Care, support and advocacy will need to develop as more children claim their UNCRC rights. Clan’s training will give carers, support and advocacy workers a toolkit of practical knowledge of UNCRC that they can use in their day-to-day work to empower children to use their rights. Article 2 says every child has UNCRC rights but children in conflict with the law are more often at risk of being treated as offenders instead of as children. At our first UNCRC training session you can learn how you can prevent negative consequences for children in conflict with the law by using their UNCRC rights in Children’s Hearings. https://lnkd.in/d89R5sGS Article 12 of UNCRC gives every child the opportunity to be heard and represented in legal decision-making processes that affect them. Clan lawyers represent children, ensuring they are heard in Children’s Hearings, courts and meetings where their views should be taken into account. Contact our free helpline to find out about how legal representation can help children. https://lnkd.in/gTdZ5JX2

As the festive season approaches, we thank everyone who stood with us to stand up for children’s rights in 2024:   "[My lawyer] was just so easy to listen to and they made it really easy for me to voice my opinions. I knew what options I had and that I had the power to make decisions."   The Clan team wishes you a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year!   

❄️ Festive Opening Hours ❄️ Clan Childlaw will be open for most of the festive period, but we will be closed on the following dates: - 25th & 26th December - 1st & 2nd January Find all the details on our website:

Exclusive Webinar for Lawyers for Children Members: Practical Tips for Initial Meetings with Child Clients🎉 Are you looking to enhance your skills in working with child clients? 🌟 Join us for a practical and engaging webinar focused on strategies for conducting effective initial meetings with child clients. 💡 What you’ll learn: ✅ Techniques for building trust and rapport ✅ Setting clear boundaries ✅ Managing expectations to create a positive experience Through real-world examples and insightful discussions, this session is perfect whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your approach. 🗓 Date: 29th January 2025 ⏰ Time: 12:00-12:45 📍 Where: Zoom Not yet a member of Lawyers for Children? Sign up today to access this webinar and unlock exclusive benefits:

🗞️❄️SNOWbody is featured in the Scottish Legal News... Together and Clan Childlaw highlighting new partnership to advance children's rights across Scotland, funded by Corra Foundation Human Rights Fund Check it out: https://lnkd.in/eXsdMdjS

It's #HumanRightsDay! We are delighted to announce that Clan Childlaw and Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights) have been awarded funding from the Corra Foundation's Independent Human Rights fund. This partnership will help tackle issues impacting babies, children and young people’s rights and build capacity in the children’s sector to use the law to hold those in power to account.  https://lnkd.in/eEPeJPp2

🎉It's #HumanRightsDay Delighted to announce that Clan Childlaw & Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights) have been awarded funding from the Corra Foundation’s Independent Human Rights Fund Click here to view Press Release: https://bit.ly/49uWFRQ This partnership will help tackle issues impacting babies, children & young people’s rights and build capacity in the children’s sector to use the law to hold those in power to account #HumanRights75

We’re thrilled to congratulate the first group of participants who completed our Lawyers for Children certification course, delivered in partnership with The Law Society of Scotland. By completing the course, participants gain exclusive access to Lawyers for Children membership, providing ongoing support and resources to further enhance their child-centred practice. 💡 Participant Feedback: “An excellent course for any lawyer interested in working with children and trauma-informed practice. The sessions with the psychologist were fascinating. It has been great to learn from all the trainers and the other participants” This certification provides: ·   15 hours of CPD ·   Practical strategies for developing a child-centred practice ·   Referral pathway for certified members ·   The opportunity to support Scotland’s only charity offering free, independent legal representation exclusively for children and young people Why it matters: “Having a lawyer had a huge impact on my situation. [My lawyer] made my situation much easier to manage and was there when I needed her. It was actually like I was being listened for the first time in a long time. Up until that point, I wasn’t sure where my life was going.” ✍ Ready to make a difference? Register your interest for the next Lawyers for Children Certification Course here: https://lnkd.in/euKiYcqf You can find out more about the benefits of our Lawyers for Children membership and sign up for our membership only option below: https://lnkd.in/e5tnna6z

We’re thrilled to congratulate the first group of participants who completed our Lawyers for Children certification course, delivered in partnership with The Law Society of Scotland. By completing the course, participants gain exclusive access to Lawyers for Children membership, providing ongoing support and resources to further enhance their child-centred practice. 💡 Participant Feedback: “An excellent course for any lawyer interested in working with children and trauma-informed practice. The sessions with the psychologist were fascinating. It has been great to learn from all the trainers and the other participants” This certification provides: ·   15 hours of CPD ·   Practical strategies for developing a child-centred practice ·   Referral pathway for certified members ·   The opportunity to support Scotland’s only charity offering free, independent legal representation exclusively for children and young people Why it matters: “Having a lawyer had a huge impact on my situation. [My lawyer] made my situation much easier to manage and was there when I needed her. It was actually like I was being listened for the first time in a long time. Up until that point, I wasn’t sure where my life was going.” ✍ Ready to make a difference? Register your interest for the next Lawyers for Children Certification Course here: https://lnkd.in/euKiYcqf You can find out more about the benefits of our Lawyers for Children membership and sign up for our membership only option below: https://lnkd.in/e5tnna6z

We are pleased that the recently published UK Government’s children’s social care strategy states that while they ‘are investing in children’s homes, including secure provision’ they want to go further to make it easier to build new homes that best match the needs of children. This includes a proposal to fill the gap in provision for children who are deprived of their liberty by amending legislation to provide a statutory framework to place children in a ‘new type of accommodation’. This need has arisen due to the lack of secure care provision in England and Wales and is a response to the many hundreds of children who are being deprived of their liberty through Deprivation of Liberty Orders authorised by the High Court instead. These orders allow children to be placed in unsuitable and unregulated accommodation in England and Wales and – on occasion – into Scotland. The detail surrounding these proposals needs to be fleshed out to fully understand the import of them, and to ensure that what is created is not a two tier system for these extremely vulnerable group of children. Meantime, for those children on DoL orders who are placed in Scotland, the power to regulate their accommodation rests with the Scottish Government. Failure to do so breaches their rights obligations under both the UNCRC and the ECHR. We have been asking the Scottish Government to better regulate these placements in Scotland for some time now – so that all children cared for in Scotland are kept safe and have their rights respected, protected and fulfilled. For more of our thoughts on this issue see our updated blog: