Family protection in Scotland and Northern Ireland: referral routes

Protection procedures differ between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Start the referral with where you live, where the other person lives and where relevant events or proceedings occurred. Do not submit an England and Wales form simply because it is easy to find online.

Route a Scottish enquiry correctly

The Scottish domestic abuse and forced marriage support route can help identify local assistance. ^[1] Ask a Scottish family practitioner about the protective remedy suited to the relationship, conduct and housing position. Supply any existing interdict, non-harassment order or other court document in full.

If an order was made elsewhere in the UK, flag that immediately. Recognition, enforcement and the appropriate new application need specific consideration; moving does not make all previous paperwork irrelevant.

Route a Northern Ireland enquiry correctly

Northern Ireland's official domestic abuse information links to its own support and protection services. ^[2] Explain whether the immediate issue is protection from conduct, occupation of the home or arrangements involving a child. Ask about the local legal aid assessment rather than using an English eligibility result.

For either jurisdiction, agree the handover between referring organisation and practitioner. State any imminent hearing or risk before arranging routine paperwork. Safe first contact remains useful for communication planning, while emergency help should be used when danger cannot wait for a referral.

Give the referral a clear geographical and procedural starting point Identify your current location, the other person's location and the place connected with the conduct or home in question. Add the court and reference for any existing proceedings, even if they began before a move. Explain the immediate objective in ordinary terms: preventing unwanted approaches, addressing occupation of the home or making arrangements involving a child. This enables the receiving service to assess which local practitioner or authority is appropriate without relying on an England and Wales label for the remedy.

Put an approaching hearing, expiry date or current threat before routine background information. A referral suitable for advice next month may not address a decision required tomorrow. Ask whether the receiving practitioner has accepted the matter and can deal with the relevant deadline. If not, request clarity about the next local route. Emergency assistance remains separate from the process of finding a lawyer, and immediate danger should not be left waiting for an appointment or an exchange of introductory paperwork.

Ask a Scottish practitioner to identify the relevant protective powers Scottish official guidance describes remedies including interdicts, domestic abuse interdicts and exclusion orders, with different purposes and conditions. Explain the relationship and the conduct or housing restriction needed so the practitioner can assess the appropriate route. If an interdict already exists, provide the terms and any provision about arrest rather than assuming all interdicts operate identically. The Scottish guidance identifies a particular consequence where a power of arrest is attached to a domestic abuse interdict. [3]

Where the home is involved, supply the ownership or tenancy information and describe who is living there. Ask how occupation rights and any proposed exclusion are assessed locally. Avoid substituting an English occupation-order form because the practical concern sounds similar. A Scottish adviser also needs to know about children and connected proceedings, but protective, housing and child-related questions may still require distinct steps. Confirm the work covered and whether another specialist needs to be involved for an issue outside the initial instruction.

Use Northern Ireland's protection and funding information For Northern Ireland, ask a local practitioner about the remedy suited to the conduct and relationship, including whether a non-molestation or occupation order is relevant. Similar terminology does not make the England and Wales application forms or procedures interchangeable. The official Northern Ireland information identifies legal aid potentially available for protective orders and certain child-related disputes, with financial circumstances affecting the funding assessment. Ask the solicitor what evidence and contribution questions apply to the particular proposed work. [4]

Give the adviser current police conditions, court documents and any notice of a forthcoming hearing. Clarify which organisation is dealing with each process and how urgent information should be passed on safely. If you previously obtained advice elsewhere in the UK, provide the documents and explain what remains outstanding. The receiving practitioner needs the actual position, including unresolved deadlines, rather than a general assurance that an earlier lawyer had already sorted out protection.

Coordinate a move or referral without losing existing obligations An order made in another jurisdiction may require advice about its recognition, enforcement or interaction with a proposed local application. Do not assume it becomes irrelevant on crossing a border, or that it can automatically be replaced by a new local document. Identify the issuing court, operative terms, service information where available and any later variation. Ask the practitioners involved who will assess each question and who will explain the combined practical position before an important event.

Agree how documents will be transferred and confirm that the receiving provider has them. Check the safe contact arrangements again, especially if the move involves a confidential address or a shared device. Keep a record of the next appointment, accepted work and outstanding step. A useful referral connects location, remedy and urgency to someone able to act within the relevant legal system; it should leave responsibility for the next decision clear rather than simply provide another name to contact.