Children in Scotland

Gillespie Macandrew provides legal insights, business advice and investment perspectives at a series of seminars in 2012.

Our 2012 members event programme will be holding sessions on powers of attorney & guardianship and partnership working in the charity sector.

Gillespie Macandrew's legal and tax experts will discuss and debate a range of issues impacting Children in Scotland members in January and March 2012.

1.  Children in Scotland:  Planning for the unexpected - guardianship, power of attorney and wills

Gillespie Macandrew's private client and family law experts will provide you with a range of insights and advice which will help you to discuss planning for children's future with parents, guardians and carers.

This half day session will address a range of issues including: 

• Planning for the unexpected: what would happen if a parent lost the ability to make decisions as a result of an accident, illness or simply old age? What steps should they be taking now to minimise the disruption to family life in that scenario?
• Today's child = tomorrow's adult: when a child becomes 16 they become an adult in Scotland, and parents start to lose the authority they previously had to act on their child's behalf. If the child suffers from a condition which makes it difficult for them to look after their own welfare and finances, what can be done in advance to protect their interests as soon as they turn 16? What is the difference between powers of attorney and guardianship?
• Where there's a will - only a minority of people get round to signing a will which often leads to unwelcome results e.g. an unexpected IHT bill, of if there are young children to be considered, in the absence of a will the parent, guardian or carer may have no say on who should care for them after the parent/carer has gone.

Speakers: Elspeth Paget & Donald Winskill, Gillespie Macandrew.

The session is being held on 26 January at our offices.  Please contact Children in Scotland directly to book your place. 

2.  Children in Scotland: Partnership Working

Frequently with charities, when working together in partnership much more can be achieved. Gillespie Macandrew and the Scottish Pre-School Play Association will review the legal and practical considerations of partnership working arrangements and the session will include a detailed case study provided by SPPA of partnership in practice to help you make the right decisions for your projects.

The programme will include:

• Deciding and documenting the management structure of parnership projects
• Drafting the memorandum of understanding and/or Partnership
• Agreement and any ancillary codes of protocol
• Identifying areas in which legal liability might arise - how it can be prevented/migrated and in general how any claims should be handled
• Partnership working case study and the way forward.

Speakers: Morag Radcliffe, Gillespie Macandrew