The Act
3.The Act seeks to support the aims set out in the Policy Memorandum by introducing changes to update Scottish family law. Family law provides the legal framework that regulates responsibilities and rights between couples and between children and their parents and others with an interest in their welfare. Scotland, in common with many other countries, has, in recent decades, seen significant changes in family formation and in attitudes towards the family. The Act makes a range of provisions designed to address the legal vulnerabilities experienced by family members in Scotland today and to ensure that family law protects the best interests of children regardless of the type of family to which they belong. The provisions of the Act impact across a number of aspects of family law and include:
	the rules regulating divorce;
	parental responsibilities and rights (PRRs) for fathers;
	protection against domestic abuse;
as well as introducing new legal safeguards for cohabiting couples and their children and a number of technical amendments designed to remove anomalies and clarify various matters relating to marriage and to the domicile of children.