We are a specialist law centre championing and protecting children’s rights across Scotland. Our vision is for ‘all children growing up in Scotland to have their rights respected, protected and fulfilled.’ We provide free, specialist legal advice on child law and children’s rights, helping children, young people, carers, and families access justice when their rights have been breached. We do this through our advice line and community clinic in Govanhill. We also deliver specialist training to organisations and schools, building knowledge and capacity to better uphold children’s rights. Through the evidence and insights gathered from our legal work, we advocate for long-term, systemic change to improve outcomes for children across Scotland. The Centre established a Community Clinic in Govanhill, which has been operating since October 2025. The Clinic provides free legal advice and support to people who need us most, helping to remove barriers to accessing justice and extending our reach into the community. Our community advice work responds to the significant barriers many children and families continue to face in accessing legal support, particularly within Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, where a lack of access to legal aid can leave rights breaches unaddressed. Through the Community Clinic, we also seek to become a trusted and valued part of the local community. By building strong relationships with schools, community organisations, statutory services and others involved in the care and support of children and young people, we aim to increase awareness of rights, improve access to advice, and ensure our work is informed by the experiences and needs of the communities we serve. As a solicitor for the Scottish Child Law Centre, your primary role is to promote and further the rights of children and young people in Scotland, by giving legal advice to children and families at our Govanhill Community Clinic. Please note this post is open to women only. This is a Genuine Occupational Requirement under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1. SCLC require to recruit a solicitor for the Govanhill Community Clinic. The role is to provide legal information and advice face to face in our Govanhill clinic. The diversity of the local population and the variety of cultures in Govanhill includes some religions and cultures where women would not, or do not feel comfortable, attending a one-on-one meeting with a man. The main demographic of people who use our clinic are ethnic minority women. Engagement and feedback from community members and partner organisations highlighted the need and preference for women to provide solicitor services in the clinic. Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 provides that in certain circumstances it is lawful for an employer to apply a requirement to have a particular protected characteristic where, having regard to the nature or context of the work; there is an occupational requirement, and the application of the requirement is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. SCLC believe that, for reasons stated above, the requirement to have a solicitor who is a woman is a genuine occupational requirement. Being a woman is therefore essential to the post and there is a legitimate aim for applying the requirement to have a woman-only post. For the same reasons, and in particular the direct legal advice and services the post holder will perform, the requirement is proportionate.
