Staff

Kevin Kane

KEVIN KANE is the Chief Executive of Shared Parenting Scotland. He brings extensive leadership experience in policy, public affairs, and research, with a strong track record of influencing change and building partnerships across sectors.

Kevin has been recognised for his work in community volunteering and grassroots campaigning. He has served on several boards, including Together, Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights and is currently the Company Secretary of Play Scotland – the national experts for play.

A lifelong passionate advocate for children’s rights and family wellbeing, Kevin balances his professional life with 50/50 shared parenting of his daughter. He’s a keen sportsperson and claims to have once run a sub-four-minute mile – though he cheerfully admits, “that was a few stones ago” – now you are more likely to find him throwing metal around the gym with a high calorie diet to match!

JOHN FORSYTH is the Policy and Communications Manager. John is a journalist by trade having worked in newspapers and as a producer on TV and radio.

John Forsyth

Alastair Williamson

ALASTAIR WILLIAMSON is the Partnership Development and Outreach Manager

MARK DOWNIE is the Veterans & Armed Forces Manager for Shared Parenting Scotland.

As well as being a former police officer with vast experience, Mark was a Royal Marine Commando for 10 years and is naturally passionate that all military/veteran families and, above all, their children should be able to access proper support and help when separating.

Since taking over management of the Veterans/Military role within Shared Parenting Scotland, Mark has supported many veterans and military personnel and now has strong relationships with other Military/Veteran organisations such as the Lothians Veterans Centre, SACRO Veterans Mentoring Service, Forces Children Scotland, Scottish Veterans Residences, 2 Scots Welfare Team and many more. Mark is also a member of Armed Forces and Veterans Community Cross Party Group at the Scottish Parliament.

Mark is an active member of the Royal Marines Association / Club taking part in many events. He is part of the Directing Staff for the RMA / RM Club Winter deployments which offer Royal Marine Veterans and their Norwegian counterparts who have suffered life changing conditions some respite from everyday life struggles.

In addition to his military work, Mark’s other role within Shared Parenting Scotland is at the front end of public engagement where he answers calls on our helpline, dealing with a wide range of parenting/family/court issues.

Away from work, Mark’s youngest sons both currently play football at pro-youth level so you will normally find him beside a football pitch ‘somewhere’ 7 days/nights a week ! …….. It’s at these times Mark’s ‘advice’ is not always well received ! 

Mark Downie

Fraser Wilson

FRASER WILSON is the Digital Communication Manager

DAVID MACLEAN is the Training Manager

David MacLean

Selina Paton

SELINA PATON is the Policy & Research Intern as part of her internship placement through the University of Glasgow.

During her legal studies, she developed a particular interest in family law and children’s rights, especially as Scotland moves toward fuller incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). She believes that embedding the principles of the UNCRC into our legal and social systems has the potential to transform how we approach family justice by shifting the focus more firmly onto the needs, voices, and long-term welfare of children. This interest was deepened during her year abroad studying law in Stockholm, Sweden. As a country that has already incorporated the UNCRC into its legal framework, Sweden offers a useful model for what children’s rights in practice can look like, not just in theory, but in the approaches by courts, schools, and families. Sweden’s approach to shared parenting also stood out to me: co-parenting arrangements are not only more common but are often actively encouraged as a way to promote stability and maintain meaningful relationships between children and both parents post separation. Experiencing this perspective first hand sparked her enthusiasm for looking at how different jurisdictions handle similar challenges, and what lessons Scotland might learn as we move in a more child-centred direction. Comparative analysis of legal systems is not something that she’s new to, as throughout her legal studies she has taken multiple Comparative law courses. She’s looking forward to applying the comparative lens during her time with Shared Parenting Scotland, thinking critically about what works well here, what could be improved, and how international best practices might inform that work.

She’ll attend monthly group meetings to get a sense of not only of the legal issues but also the institutional barriers that arise and how the Shared Parenting team and pro bono solicitors deal with them. She’s keen to be involved in all aspects of SPS’s work – especially the chance to hear directly from parents and families, and to understand the lived experiences behind the legal processes. She’s particularly excited about the opportunity to contribute to ongoing work that promotes shared parenting as a positive approach for many separated families. The evidence is clear that, when done well, shared parenting can help maintain strong relationships between children and both of their parents – something that is not only beneficial emotionally, but also supports long-term stability and development. She’s looking forward to learning more about how policy, practice, and lived experience intersect in this area.

She’s keen to connect with others working in family law, children’s rights, and related fields. If your organisation is working on similar themes – from implementing the UNCRC in family courts to developing new ways of supporting children through conflict – she’d love to hear from you.