Don't Let Them Move — The Father's Guide to Preventing Relocation in the Family Court

Time is your enemy in relocation cases.

If your children are moved — to another city, another 

country, or simply far enough away to make regular 

contact impossible — the court starts from the position 

of where the children now are. Established arrangements. 

Settled schools. New routines.

Preventing the move is dramatically more effective 

than reversing it.

If you know a move is imminent: read this today.

Apply tomorrow.

WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS:

PART 1 — SPOTTING THE SIGNS AND ACTING EARLY

New relationship at a distance. School records requested. 

Passport applications made without your knowledge. 

Children asking unusual questions about moving. A 

sudden change in communication. How to recognise the 

signs — and why you must act before you have confirmation.

PART 2 — THE PROHIBITED STEPS ORDER

Your most important tool. What it is, how to apply 

urgently — including without the other parent knowing 

— and what it covers. The passport surrender 

application. How to get protection within 24 to 48 

hours in a genuine emergency.

PART 3 — THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Domestic relocation — how courts apply the welfare 

checklist. International relocation — the Re F 

framework, why it no longer automatically favours 

the primary carer, and what courts genuinely weigh.

What you must show to oppose a relocation — and 

crucially, how to frame it around the children's 

welfare, not your own loss.

PART 4 — BUILDING YOUR CASE

The evidence that matters — the quality of your 

current relationship with your children, documented. 

How to structure your position statement and witness 

statement. The alternatives courts expect you to have 

considered. What you are NOT arguing — and why the 

distinction matters.

PART 5 — IF RELOCATION IS AGREED OR ORDERED

Negotiating the contact regime after relocation — 

specific dates, travel costs, holiday contact, 

communication, notification, review mechanisms. 

Why a consent order is essential and what it must 

contain.

PART 6 — IF THE MOVE HAS ALREADY HAPPENED

Domestic relocation — apply immediately. International 

relocation without consent — child abduction. The 

Hague Convention. The International Child Abduction 

and Contact Unit (ICACU). Port alerts. What to do 

in the first 24 hours.

WHAT YOU GET:

✓ Complete relocation guide — from prevention to 

 emergency response

✓ The prohibited steps order — step by step

✓ The Hague Convention — what it covers and how 

 to use it

✓ Written by a qualified solicitor (non-practising) 

 who has been a litigant in person himself

✓ PDF — instant download, lifetime access

Lawyers ask for a retainer before they start.

We charge once — and you get everything immediately.

For educational purposes only. Not legal advice.

Eugene Pienaar is a non-practising Solicitor of the 

Supreme Court of England and Wales.