Scottish government Minister to deliver keynote speech at landmark parenting conference

We’re delighted to announce that Kirsten Oswald MSP, Scottish government Minister for Victims and Community Safety, will be a keynote speaker at the International Council on Shared Parenting’s 2027 international conference in Glasgow.

The conference, hosted by Shared Parenting Scotland, will bring the International Council on Shared Parenting (ICSP) to Scotland for the first time and will be the first ICSP international conference to be held anywhere in the UK.

Taking place in Glasgow in 2027, the conference will focus on “Children’s Rights and Shared Parenting”, bringing together leading academic researchers, practitioners, policymakers, legal professionals and parents and grandparents from around the world.

Across three days, delegates will explore how family justice systems can better uphold children’s rights and support meaningful relationships between children and their parents and other caregivers.

The conference will provide an international forum for sharing and learning, connecting perspectives from families, services, courts, governments, academia and civil society.

The Minister for Victims and Community Safety’s contribution will form part of a programme that encourages constructive dialogue about the future of family justice and the important relationships in children’s lives.

Kevin Kane, Chief Executive of Shared Parenting Scotland, said:

“We are delighted to welcome the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Kirsten Oswald MSP to what promises to be a landmark event for Scotland and for the wider children’s sector and parenting community.

Bringing the International Council on Shared Parenting to Glasgow is an important opportunity to put Scotland at the heart of an international conversation about children’s rights, family relationships and the future of family justice

Our ambition is to learn from what works internationally, to challenge where systems can do better and to keep children’s rights and their meaningful relationships withtheir parents and wider family at the heart of the conversation.

Too often, discussions about family justice become focused on systems and processes; Glasgow 2027 provides an opportunity to refocus attention on what ultimatelymatters most – the children and families those systems are there to serve.

We want Glasgow 2027 to bring families, professionals, policymakers, public bodiesand researchers together to share evidence, experience and ideas openly and constructively.

Most importantly, we want delegates to leave better informed with practical learning and renewed determination to help shape family justice systems that can make a positive and lasting difference to children and families”.

For Shared Parenting Scotland, bringing the ICSP conference to Glasgow represents an important opportunity to put Scotland at the centre of an international conversation about children, families and shared parenting.

Further announcements about speakers, the programme, call for papers and delegate registration will follow as plans develop. For more information and to register your interest, click here