Publication of the Practitioners’ Tool: Cross-Border Recognition and Enforcement of Agreements Reached in the Course of Family Matters Involving Children

The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce the publication of the Practitioners’ Tool: Cross-Border Recognition and Enforcement of Agreements Reached in the Course of Family Matters Involving Children (Practitioners’ Tool).

The Practitioners’ Tool aims to explain how agreements made in the area of family law involving children (“family agreements”) can be made enforceable in one State and then recognised and enforced in other States through the operation of mechanisms under HCCH Conventions, specifically the 1980 Child Abduction Convention, 1996 Child Protection Convention, and 2007 Child Support Convention.

Family agreements can have a very important role in deterring parental child abduction and facilitating the continuation of a meaningful relationship for a child with both of their parents when the parents are living in different States. The Practitioners’ Tool will serve as a valuable resource for legal or professional advisers (e.g., mediators) who are helping families with children navigate cross-border issues through a formal agreement, bringing greater certainty and stability to family arrangements across the globe.

The Permanent Bureau wishes to express its gratitude to the members of Experts’ Group on Family Agreements, whose efforts and dedication to this project over many years made the finalisation of this document possible.

The Practitioners’ Tool is now available for download in English and French. Hard copies of this publication can also be ordered here.