More than 1000 asylum seeker families in Scotland are facing forced deportation, potentially involving dawn raids, the Home Office said yesterday. The figure emerged during a visit to Scotland by Liam Byrne, the UK Immigration Minister, who was announcing the creation of two teams in Glasgow to speed up asylum applications.

A woman accused of trying to murder her baby son will discover tomorrow whether she has won a 12-year legal fight for justice. Regarded as a test case in Scots law, the landmark legal action challenges the controversial theory of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP), which she believes has resulted in thousands of parents being wrongly accused of child abuse.

Two new asylum specialist teams are to be set up in Scotland to deal with cases north of the border, Immigration Minister Liam Byrne has said. His announcement comes ahead of talks in Scotland with the first minister.

A pilot domestic abuse court in Glasgow has dealt with 691 cases in its second year, according to new figures. The pilot, based in Glasgow Sheriff Court, deals with domestic abuse cases from the city’s south side.

Scottish society is at “a very dangerous tipping point”, because young people are being turned into hate figures by adults, according to a leading council official. The Rev Ewan Aitken, the leader of Edinburgh city council, said the nation’s youth was being “demonised” and that it was vital to address the misconception that most of them were up to no good.

For nine long years she fought the might of the Church of Scotland – a battle which took her to the highest court in the land. And yesterday Helen Percy was celebrating a substantial 11th-hour out-of-court settlement in her claim for sex discrimination against the Church.

Physiotherapy graduates are being left without jobs even though official figures show more than 28,000 people are waiting for an appointment.Half of those who qualified from Scottish universities this summer have been unable to find permanent jobs in the field, according to a survey published today. Cash shortages at health boards are among the factors blamed for the lack of junior positions.

A violent sex offender has made legal history by becoming the first person in the UK to be assessed for a new kind of sentence that will last the rest of his life. Colin Ross is now on the verge of being subject to intensive supervision while in jail and after his eventual release for the attempted murder of an American tourist in an attack which has left her in a coma.

One hundred victims of alleged abuse by nuns at Catholic children’s homes in Scotland are to seek criminal injuries compensation. The former residents of Nazareth House started giving evidence this week at hearings held by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel in Glasgow.

Funding for children’s services in Scotland is facing a £160m shortfall, social work directors have warned. The Association of Directors of Social Work said there had been a 10% rise in the number of children being looked after by local authorities since 2001.