Any advice on how to avoid child abduction?

Two words.

Court. Order.

Posted about 1 year ago by Mamfer

But would a court order stop the guy from snatching the kids off the street and whisking them to Gatwick?

Posted about 1 year ago by ladyruskin

A court order would prevent the children leaving the country, yes.

Posted about 1 year ago by Mamfer

Court order yes, also who’s passport are they on, or do they have their own?

Posted about 1 year ago by cobo04

have to have their own, not allowed on parents anymore.

Posted about 1 year ago by wenttomow

Well, hiding their passports would mean they couldn’t leave the country (afaik), so that actually seems like a pretty practical option.

Plus, erm, legal advice perhaps?

Posted about 1 year ago by Tayto

Phone NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, they should be able to give you the advice you need.

Good luck

Posted about 1 year ago by wenttomow

Go see a solicitor, get them to put out a port alert. Photos, names and passport numbers are given to all ports (including airports) in the country and they’ll be stopped. They won’t be arrested, just denied a boarding pass. It’s a High Court order and will cost you about £500 all in including your lawyer’s fee. They then have to go to the RCJ on the Strand to overturn it. Enjoy!

Posted about 1 year ago by Popey

Advice your friend of the following:

Morocco is not member of the hague convention, so any court order is not enforceable there. As a father with parental responsibility, he can apply for a passport for the children. He could say that the passports have been lost. Get an order forbidden him from applying for new passports, copy of order to embassy. Also get port alert (as mentioned by Popey. If he has the passport, apply for Specific Issue Order for return of them to mum. She can give them to her solicitors or somonelse for safe keeping. A residence order – specifing where children live – with mum, not really helpful because not enforceable, see Hague Convention but if money is available I would apply for it also for Prohibited STeps Order preventing dad from removing children from mum’s care. Depending on your friends income, she may be entitled to legal aid. If your friend is very concernd. Don’t delay!

Posted about 1 year ago by FrauleinZ

On the other hand, not knowing just how real the threat is, taking out prohibitive steps orders and alerting the ports ahead of any action could precipitate a far more acrimonious divorce than would otherwise have happened. I don’t know the parents here, obviously, but could this friend’s fear be over-stated, has he made threats to remove them, or serious plans to return home himself?

Once you alert the authorities to a potential situation, real or imagined, you and your kids will be on that register for life. Is that really fair if the father actually had no intention of removing the kids, you could be jeopardising his relationship with his now estranged kids on a hunch, while ensuring an already acrimonious time in your life becomes one of infernal legal wrangling, muck-slinging and discord. It’s a shit enough time ahead for the kids already, without one parent incriminating the other. It’ll be the start of acrimony, not a cap on it.

If he has made noises about removing the kids though, I retract all the above. Hide the passports, and alert the ports.

Posted about 1 year ago by Mockernee

Sincere thanks all. I’m forwarding the thread to Mum so she can consider.

Posted about 1 year ago by keyworker