Call Kaye. BBC Radio Scotland

Dear Kaye,

I was on your programme concerning grandparent’s rights of contact with their grandchildren. You finished up by saying Jimmy says grandparents don’t have rights, the lawyer says they have and you looked very puzzled.

This also puzzles grandparents who cling to any hope of contact and are very vulnerable to lawyers telling them they have rights then spend a fortune until their money runs out.

Now here is the proof straight from the government’s law division that grandparents have no automatic rights and need to pursue any contact through the courts.

Letter from Scottish government Law Division.

Quote As stated in previous correspondence the Scottish Government recognises the valuable contribution that grandparents can make to a child's life following parental separation. Grandparents do not have automatic rights to contact with their grandchildren; however they can obtain contact by being awarded an order from the court. These policy decisions were made after detailed and thorough consultation, unfortunately it would not be in the best interests of every child to have automatic contact with their grandparents. The child's welfare is paramount in these situations and any decisions made by the court will be with this principle in mind. unquote

We never recommend lawyers as we have had bad experiences with clients coming back and saying “you recommended them”. We only say make sure you engage a family trained lawyer. We also advise anyone engaging a lawyer to get second opinions on whether they have a good enough chance before spending all their hard earned savings.