When women raise claims of abuse in the family courts, the judge will often appoint an expert to carry out an assessment and write a report to help guide their decision on contact or custody. That expert holds a tremendous amount of power; they can be a lawyer, a social worker or a mental health professional, and they become the eyes and ears of the court.
Read moreThe Children (Scotland) Bill: Welfare Reporters & Shared Parenting
Liam McArthur MSP has proposed well-intentioned amendments to the Children (Scotland) Bill for the debate timetabled for the 25th August. His amendments are concerning shared parenting and child welfare reporters in particular. The amendments sound reasonable, at first, but let me explain why they would, in fact, be harmful to victims of abuse, particularly mothers and children.
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