Child Contact and Residence Solicitors in Scotland
Bespoke advice for your family circumstances. Our experienced family lawyers can help you establish child contact arrangements or resolve a dispute over custody or residence.
- Specialists in Scottish family law and divorce
- Fixed-fee consultations from £250+VAT
- Book a consultation today and take the first step towards your future
Protect your relationship with your child and build arrangements that work in everyday life.
Questions about where a child will live and how time with each parent will work can arise at separation, after an informal arrangement breaks down or when an existing order no longer meets the child’s needs. Scottish law refers to residence and contact rather than “custody”, although child custody remains a common search term and a useful starting point for explaining the available orders.
A parent’s responsibilities and rights must be exercised in the child’s interests. Holding PRRs is important, but it does not give either parent an unrestricted right to impose arrangements without regard to welfare, the other parent’s rights or an existing court order.
A team with extensive experience across the full range of family law.
Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, with telephone and video appointments available throughout Scotland.
Focused advice from a family solicitor, followed by a written assessment and a tailored fee estimate.
A dedicated family law team handling everything from straightforward separation to complex financial and child law disputes.
How Do We Help With Child Contact and Residence?
At Kee Solicitors, we help parents reach child contact and residence arrangements that work for the whole family. Our team always keeps the needs and wellbeing of children at the forefront, working to find solutions that are practical, sustainable and in the best interests of your child.
Agreed parenting arrangements and section 11 court orders.
Where agreement is possible, we help parents deal with the details that commonly cause later conflict: ordinary weeks, handovers, school holidays, birthdays, travel, communication, new partners and how decisions will be made. The arrangement can be recorded in a parenting plan or Minute of Agreement, depending on the level of formality required.
Where agreement cannot be reached, a parent or another person claiming an interest can ask the court for an order under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. The orders include residence, contact and specific issue orders. Scotland does not use the English statutory label “Child Arrangements Order”.
The court treats welfare as paramount, considers the child’s views where practicable and applies the no-order principle. It can obtain reports, hear evidence and make interim arrangements while the case proceeds. We prepare the factual history and proposals carefully, keeping the focus on the child rather than adult grievance.
Our Dedicated Team of Family Law Experts
Clear advice whether you are seeking contact, defending an application or changing an existing arrangement.
We act for mothers, fathers, grandparents and other people with a genuine interest in a child’s welfare. Where contact has stopped, an arrangement is no longer workable or safety concerns have arisen, we assess urgency and the proportionate next step.
Court is not inevitable, but delay can allow an unsatisfactory position to become established. Timely advice can help whether the problem has just arisen, has continued for some time or is already before the court.
Our one-hour fixed-fee initial consultation costs £250 + VAT. You will receive focused advice from a family solicitor, a written assessment of your position and a tailored estimate for any further work.
Hear Directly From Kee Solicitor Experts
Frequently Asked Questions: Child Contact and Residence in Scotland
Common questions about child contact and residence arrangements in Scotland.
Do I have parental responsibilities and rights?
It depends on legal parenthood, marriage or civil partnership status, birth registration, any statutory agreement and existing court orders. We can check the position from the documents and advise on obtaining PRRs if they are not already held.
Will the court listen to my child's views?
The court must give the child an opportunity to express views where they are capable of doing so and must have regard to those views in light of age and maturity. The method used should be appropriate for the individual child.
Can contact or residence arrangements be changed?
Yes. Parents can agree changes, or the court can vary or recall an order where the welfare test supports doing so. A significant change in the child’s needs, safety, schooling, location or practical arrangements may be relevant.
What is shared or joint residence?
A residence order can recognise that a child lives with both parents. It does not require an exact 50/50 division of time. The practical pattern must serve the child’s welfare and be workable.
What happens if a contact order is not followed?
A deliberate breach can lead to enforcement or contempt proceedings, but the court will examine why contact did not occur and what response best serves the child. Take advice before withholding contact or reacting to a breach.
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