Reunite — international child abduction and relocation advice
Reunite International Child Abduction Centre is the UK's specialist charity for parents dealing with a child taken or kept abroad without consent — and, just as importantly, for parents planning a lawful relocation. Its advice line is the first port of call for anyone facing cross-border child disputes.
REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-09-01
What Reunite is
Reunite is a UK charity based in Leicester, specialising in international child abduction and international parental child disputes. It runs a 24-hour advice line in practice (office hours with emergency arrangements), a mediation service for cross-border family disputes, and it works closely with the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU) — the HMCTS office that handles Hague Convention applications for England and Wales. Reunite also maintains the UK's normative information on child abduction law and produces the standard "Mediation in international child abduction" resources used by practitioners.
What help it offers
- Advice line: +44 (0)116 2556 234 — practical information and support for parents whose child has been, or may be, abducted or retained abroad, and for parents facing an application from abroad.
- Mediation service — cross-border mediation between parents, sometimes the only realistic route to an agreed outcome.
- Information on the 1980 Hague Convention on child abduction — how applications work, what defences exist, and what the courts can do.
- Country guides on how different jurisdictions treat child abduction and relocation.
- Support through the process — including explaining the role of the ICACU, Central Authorities, and legal aid for abduction cases (legal aid is available for child abduction proceedings without the usual means test at the application stage).
How a self-representing parent can use Reunite
1. Your child has been taken or kept abroad. Call Reunite first. It explains urgent steps: applying under the 1980 Hague Convention through the ICACU, emergency orders (prohibited steps, passport surrender, Tipstaff location orders), and how to instruct lawyers abroad. 2. You took the child and are being pursued. Reunite also advises responding parents — on defences (consent, acquiescence, grave risk), timelines, and mediation alternatives to litigation. 3. Planning to relocate abroad. If you are the parent wanting to move abroad with a child, Reunite's mediation service and materials explain lawful routes — applying for leave to remove, and what happens if you go without consent or a court order. 4. Preventive steps. For feared abductions, Reunite advises on practical measures (holding passports, port alerts via the police, court orders) that keep a child in the jurisdiction while a case is decided.
Reunite is an information and mediation charity, not a law firm — it does not represent you, but its advice line is the recognised starting point, and it can point you to specialist abduction solicitors.
Contact details
- Advice line: +44 (0)116 2556 234
- Mediation and administration: +44 (0)116 2555 345
- Website: https://www.reunite.org
- ICACU (court service unit for abduction applications): see GOV.UK — child abduction page: https://www.gov.uk/child-abduction
Useful links
- Reunite: https://www.reunite.org
- GOV.UK on child abduction: https://www.gov.uk/child-abduction
- ICACU guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-child-abduction-and-contact-unit
- Our guides: international abduction (Hague), relocation with children abroad, Tipstaff location orders
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws, procedures and contact details change — verify anything important against the official sources linked above before relying on it. Your Family Case is an independent directory listing; we take no referral fees and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or receiving payment from any organisation listed.
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.