A new law put forward by the Scottish Government has "potentially insidious aspects" which could undermine families, senior lawyers have warned.

The Faculty of Advocates said the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill contained an "indiscriminate provision for possible interference in the lives of all children".

The faculty raised its concerns over part of the legislation which proposes a named person for every child in Scotland, claiming this could potentially breach the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The Scottish Government has already said it is confident its legislation complies with European law.

But the faculty has echoed fears from the Law Society of Scotland, who warned last month the Bill could interfere with respect for family and private life, and conflict with human rights. The Bill proposes that a named person, who could be a social worker or teacher, would be responsible for safeguarding a child's welfare.

But the faculty claimed such a move could amount to an "assumption by the state of functions that have historically in Scotland been the responsibility of parents".

It said it had "reservations about the efficacy of the proposed legislation to advance the interests of children and young people".

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The protection and promotion of the wellbeing of Scotland's children and our aim of making our nation the best place for children to grow up are at heart of the Children and Young People Bill.

"Our focus is on the safety and protection of children. The named person - who is likely to be a health visitor, head or deputy head teacher and will usually already know the child - will be a first point of contact.

"We are confident the proposed legislation is compliant with European law."