Family Law ยท Children

Child Custody Solicitors Glasgow

Our child custody solicitors in Glasgow help you sort residence and contact arrangements – with your child’s welfare first, and conflict kept to a minimum.

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Confidential and without obligation

How we help

Arrangements for your children

Residence

Where your child lives day to day – agreed between parents where possible, decided by the court where it is not.

Contact

The time your child spends with the other parent – weekends, holidays, video calls – set out clearly so everyone knows where they stand.

Parental rights & responsibilities

Advice on who holds parental rights, how unmarried fathers acquire them, and orders where rights are being obstructed.

Grandparents and relocation

Contact for grandparents and wider family, and advice where one parent wants to move away with the children.

“Custody” in Scotland – what the law actually says

Scotland moved away from the language of custody and access years ago. The courts now deal with residence (where a child lives) and contact (time with the other parent), and the test is always the same: the welfare of the child comes first.

In practice, that changes very little about what worries you – and it is what we deal with every week. Most arrangements are agreed by negotiation or a Minute of Agreement without a court ever being involved. Where court is unavoidable, we act firmly but constructively, because scorched-earth tactics rarely help the person who matters most.

Honest advice from the first meeting

We will tell you plainly how a sheriff is likely to view your situation, what is worth fighting for, and what is not. Clear fees agreed upfront, no surprises. Your first meeting is confidential, and we agree fees before any work starts.

How it works

Sorting arrangements, step by step

Initial consultation

We listen, explain how Scottish law applies to your family, and set out the realistic options.

Agreement first

Negotiation or a Minute of Agreement settles most cases – faster, cheaper and easier on the children.

Court where needed

If agreement is impossible, we raise or defend proceedings and represent you at every hearing.

Common questions

Child custody FAQs

Not since the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. The courts now make residence orders (where a child lives) and contact orders (time with the other parent). Most people still say custody, which is fine – we know exactly what you mean and will explain the modern terms as we go.

There is no fixed age. The court must give the child the opportunity to express a view and take it into account in line with their age and maturity. From age 12 a child is presumed mature enough to form a view, but younger children are heard too – and a child’s view is a factor, not the deciding vote.

No. The law is gender-neutral and the test is the welfare of the child. What matters is the child’s relationship with each parent, stability, and practical caring arrangements – not whether you are the mother or the father.

If you are named on the birth certificate (for registrations from May 2006), you have full parental rights and responsibilities automatically. If not, rights can be acquired by agreement with the mother or by court order. Either way, you can apply for contact or residence – being unmarried does not shut you out.

Yes. Grandparents do not have automatic rights, but they can apply to the court for a contact order, and courts recognise the value of those relationships. We always try agreement with the parents first.

Keep a record, stay measured, and take advice quickly. If an existing court order is being breached, it can be enforced. If arrangements were informal, we can move fast to negotiate resumption or seek a contact order. Withholding contact without good reason tends to reflect badly on the parent doing it.

Put your children first. We’ll handle the law.

A free, confidential consultation with a family solicitor who will tell you honestly where you stand.

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