Tipstaff orders and location orders — finding children who have been abducted or hidden
REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-29
What a Tipstaff order is
A Tipstaff order (named after the Tipstaff of the High Court) is a court order authorising the police to locate, recover and deliver a child to a named person or location. It is the most powerful tool for finding children who have been abducted or hidden.
When the court makes one
- A child has been abducted (taken by a parent or other person, in breach of a court order or without consent)
- A child is missing and there are welfare concerns
- A child has been taken into hiding by a parent to frustrate proceedings
- The court believes a child is at imminent risk of removal from the UK
What it empowers
- Police to enter and search premises (with a warrant if needed)
- Police to take charge of the child and deliver them to the named person
- The Passport Office to surrender or seize the child's passport
- port alerts to prevent the child leaving the UK
- Directions to disclose the child's whereabouts (schools, GPs, local authorities)
How to apply
- Application to the High Court (Family Division) — urgent, often same-day
- Usually made alongside a wardship application or in existing proceedings
- Without notice if alerting the other party would risk the child being moved again
- Fee may apply (check help-with-fees eligibility)
Related: the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU)
If the child has been taken abroad, the ICACU processes Hague Convention applications free of charge. Contact them immediately — speed is critical: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-child-abduction-and-contact-unit
If you fear abduction
- 999 if the child is being taken right now
- Apply for a Prohibited Steps Order urgently
- Contact the Passport Office to flag the child's passport
- Alert the school not to release the child to the other parent
- See our international/Hague guide
Official links
- ICACU: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-child-abduction-and-contact-unit
- https://www.gov.uk/child-abduction
This page is general information, not legal advice. YourFamilyCase.co.uk is an independent information directory and is not affiliated with HMCTS or gov.uk.
Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.