Family Law Conference: Children and Families 2025
Location & Date
Location:
Online, Zoom
Day 1
Date: 17th September 2025
Time: 09:30 - 12:30
Day 2
Date: 18th September 2025
Time: 09:30 - 12:30
Training Details
Live Online:
Join this CPD training online at the specified time
CPD Hours: 6
Register & Details
Book by Wednesday 20 August to save 20% with our Early Bird rate
6 hours verifiable CPD
Join us across two mornings for the second in our series of family law conferences for 2025. We will focus on recent legislative, policy and practice developments in children and family law.
Day one will discuss legal and case law updates, as well as the wellbeing of family lawyers and clients; whilst Day 2 will deep dive into upholding the interests of the child and trauma informed practice. Our expert speakers will bring you up to speed in key areas: from s11 Orders to child relocation, risk management, trauma-informed practice, gender identity in modern families, the impact of parental alienation on the views of the child, and much more.
With ample opportunities to connect with practitioners and experts in the field, you will be able to participate in discussions, ask question and share practice tips and knowledge.
Learning outcomes
- Gain an overview of the most recent developments in Scottish legislation and case law
- Increase your understanding of parental alienation and how this can impact the views of the child
- Learn about best practice when working with vulnerable children and young people and using a trauma-informed approach
- Identify how to support your work and your colleagues through prioritising well-being and mitigating risk
- Develop your understanding of s11 Orders: what they mean for PRRs, contact and residence
- Expand your knowledge of the law relating to gender identity within families
Day One | Session One: : Scots Legislation and Case Law Overview
09:30 Welcome and Introduction, Chair
09:35 Case Law Review
10:10 Legislative Updates
- The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024
- Potentially: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024
10:45 Questions and Discussion with Speakers from Session One
11:00 Comfort Break and transition to Main Plenary
Session Two: Protecting Family Lawyers and Clients
11:15-11:55 Breakout session
Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control: Children as Victims
Breakout 1
- Identifying signs of abuse – how victim-survivors can present unexpected behaviours
- Understanding the impact of trauma on memory
- How to use a trauma informed approached
- The impact of domestic abuse and coercive control on children
- Should children also be considered victims of DA or CC if they grew up in a household where it was present?
- Could we be seeing a change to how we legally approach children and legal remedies available to them in these situations?
Mental Health and Wellbeing for Family Lawyers
Breakout 2
- Recognising the personal costs of working in family law
- What does vicarious trauma and burnout look like
- What you can do to support your wellbeing
- Organisational culture – putting wellbeing on the agenda
- Managing workloads and stress
- Creating a wellbeing strategy
11:55 Transition from Breakout Sessions to Main Plenary
12:00 Risk Management for Family Lawyers
- Conflicts of interest
- Letters of engagement
- Client communication
- Record-keeping
- Door of court settlements
- Handling complaints
- Learning from upheld complaints - LSOS and Scottish Legal Complaints Commission
12:35 Questions and Discussion
12:45 Closing Remarks
12:50 End of Day One
Day Two | Session Three : Upholding the Interests of the Child in Modern Families
09:30 Welcome and Introduction, Chair
09:35 S11 Orders: PRRs, Residence and Contact
- An overview of PRRs for mothers vs fathers, how do PRRs work in LGBT+ relationships?
- How is residence and contact determined by the court?
- Who is allowed to apply for s11 orders?
- How do s11 orders interact with Compulsory Supervision Orders?
- Can children make their own s11 orders? What is required for a child to be able to do so?
10:10 Questions and Discussion
10:20 Transition to Breakouts
10:25 - 11:05 Breakout Sessions
Child Relocation: Internal, Intranational and International
Breakout 1
- Application to the courts for ‘leave to remove’/’permission to relocate’
- Challenging the relocation
- Determining the best interest of the child
- Are there different requirements or hurdles depending on the level of relocation?
- What must parents prove for internal vs international relocations?
Gender Identity and Scots Family Law
Breakout 2
- The impact of For Women Scotland ruling
- Assisted reproduction for transgender parents
- Gender affirmative care in health care settings
- Challenging discrimination in provision of public services
- The EHRC interim update on single-sex spaces
- Parental rights and responsibilities for trans parents
- Parental dispute over a child’s gender identity
11:05 Comfort break and transition to main plenary
Session Four : Working with Children
11:20 Seeking the Views of the Children: Parental Alienation
- Children (Scotland) Act 2020
- Recent caselaw - LRK v AG 2021 SLT (Sh Ct) 107, M v C [2021] CSIH 14, FBI v MH [2021] SAC (Civ) 16
- Tools for identifying and collecting authentic views sensitively
- Determining when parental alienation has been at play
- How do determine the authentic views of a child when parental alienation has occurred
- How parental alienation could impact a court’s decision in hearing the views of a child
11:55 Trauma Informed Approaches to Working with Children and Young People
- The impact of trauma on young clients in a family law context
- How trauma presents in children and young people
- Seeking the views of the child in a trauma-informed way – using trauma-informed interviewing techniques
- Practical tips for building trust and rapport
- Practical tips for avoiding re-traumatisation
- Benefits – to the children, their families
- Benefits – enhancing case strategy
- External support services and resources
- Protecting against vicarious trauma
- Child Inclusive Mediator
12:30 Questions and Discussion with Speakers from Session 4
12:45 Closing Remarks
12:50 End of Conference
I thought the course over the two days achieved a challenging aim of covering such a diverse range of topics
Excellent course, first class presentation
Prices (prices exclude VAT)
Member:
(£253.05) £202.44
New member:
(£215.09) £172.80
Non-member:
(£291.01) £232.81
Unemployed member:
free
Book by 20th August 2025 to save 20% with our Early Bird rate
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