A SUPPORT group based in Ayrshire want to highlight discrepancies in children’s rights in Scotland.

Grandparents Apart UK want the Scottish Government to change family law so that children have a legal right to see their grandparents.

They have already responded to the Review of Part one of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and now want to give evidence in the Scottish Parliament so MSPs can hear them directly.

June Loudoun – who holds the group’s regular meetings in Kilmarnock Station – said: “The government are seeking views and opinions and evidence. Over the process, we have said that we want to be invited to give evidence in Parliament. The only law that we want to see changed is that children have a right to see their grandparents.

“We were told a long, long time ago that grandparents would never get a right of contact to see the children because, at that time, some dads didn’t have a legal right of contact with their children but also because they reckoned that, in some cases, it wasn’t good for them to have contact with their grandparents which is right in some cases.

“We want the children to have that right, then it can be looked at in the same context that the contact between the generations is generally a good thing.

“As it stands, there is no legal connection between the generations. You can go to court and and seek contact with your grandchild but so can anybody else that’s involved with their life for instance, a next door neighbour, a school teacher or a scout cub leader.

“If enough people want it and if we can provide a good enough case to the government that they think it is necessary to make a change but it could take a long time – a year or maybe more – before any final decision is made.

“We have been dealing with parliament since 2005, letting MSPs know and showing them the examples of why things need to change.

“It will be better for children.”