If a child placed outside the home has been abducted or retained in a contracting state, the municipality can request to have the child returned under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and/or the Hague Convention on Child Protection.
Read more about child abduction when the child is placed outside the home
If a municipality wishes to gather information from abroad, send information to foreign authorities or request jurisdiction to make decisions regarding a child, the municipality can use the provisions of the Hague Convention on Child Protection. The purpose of the Hague Convention is to ensure the protection of children and young people in cross-border situations. The convention can be applied if Denmark has established cooperation with the State in question under the convention, except in situations regarding notifications as these are also sent to non-contracting states.
Among other things, the convention contains rules on which state’s authorities have jurisdiction to make decisions on matters such as placement outside the home. These rules ensure that when the child or young person resides in one of the States that has signed the convention, there will always be one state, which is responsible for protecting the child or young person in question.
The convention also contains various other possibilities for cooperation between States in cases regarding the protection of children in cross-border situations, such as the gathering and exchange of information. The convention also includes an obligation to notify in the event that a child abroad is in serious danger.
The convention also contains rules on the transfer of jurisdiction between authorities and a special procedure to be used if the authorities of another contracting state wish to place a child or young person in Denmark.
Denmark cooperates with a number of states under the convention (hereinafter referred to as contracting states). You can see which states on our page about the Hague Convention on Child Protection.
Read more about the different options under the convention by clicking on the menu items on the left of this page.