Child Abduction

Child Abduction Solicitors

Stephanie Adams and Lucy Cohen are specialist Child Abduction Solicitors accredited experts in providing advice in cases of threatened or actual abduction.

What is Child Abduction?

In the field of family law abduction can be defined as the removal of the children from

a. someone who has parental rights over that child, or

b. from the jurisdiction of their country of habitual residence, without the consent of everyone with parental responsibility

A child can also be said to have been abducted if they have been retained in another country without the consent of all persons with parental responsibility, for example, if a child is not returned after a holiday abroad.

What can be done?

Our Child Abduction Solicitors can assist in obtaining preventative orders to stop a child from being abducted. This could either be by obtaining a Prohibited Steps Order at a local court or by making the child a Ward of Court in the High Court. If the abduction is threatened imminently or, is in the process of being carried out, it is vital to see a specialist Child Abduction Solicitor who knows what order to obtain from the courts to ensure the best protection is obtained quickly.

If the child has already been abducted from a person with parental responsibility but remains in this country, our Child Abduction Solicitors can apply for orders to ensure that the child is located and returned home.

In cases where a child has already been taken out of the country, the remedy depends on the country where the child is currently staying. If the country is a member of the Hague Convention then there is a clear procedure about how to apply for the child to be returned home. A specialist child abduction solicitor at Williscroft & Co can advise and assist you on this procedure and apply to the High Court in England for a declaration that the child was wrongfully removed from this jurisdiction. This will assist in obtaining an order in the other country for the child to be returned. Your child abduction solicitor can then liaise with the Child Abduction and Contact Unit to ensure that an application is made for the return of the child in the country where they are currently staying.

If the country where the child is currently staying is not a Hague Convention Country you will need to take specialist advice from a Child Abduction Solicitor about the best way to recover your child. The action you take will depend on the country involved.

We also provide advice to parents who are living abroad where their children have been abducted to this country. We regularly receive referrals from the Lord Chancellors Department to act for parents. We have been very successful in obtaining orders from the English court for the children to be returned to their home countries and to the left behind parent.

To speak to an expert Child Abduction Solicitor call our Bradford Solicitors on 01274 305380, our Keighley Solicitors on 01535 600973 or email us.