How to Choose a Child-Recovery Company: Questions to Ask Before You Pay

Parents comparing child-recovery companies are often under pressure to decide quickly. It is reasonable to ask direct questions before paying anyone. A clear answer should explain the work being offered, its limits and the decisions that remain yours or your legal adviser’s.

This checklist is intended to help compare proposals. It does not establish that a particular provider is suitable for your case. Official help and specialist legal advice remain important; a private instruction should have a role that is distinct and understood.

1. What task are you accepting?

Ask the provider to distinguish an initial assessment, an investigation to establish facts or location, and any proposed operational support. A single label such as “recovery” can conceal very different activities. The quotation should say what will be done, what you will receive and what is outside scope.

For example, an assessment report might identify gaps and possible next steps without including overseas enquiries. A location report might provide information without establishing permission for a later action. Ask what decision each deliverable is intended to support.

2. How is the legal position checked?

Identify the suitably qualified advisers responsible for the countries concerned. Ask how their advice informs the proposed instruction and who checks the authority needed for each stage. The provider should not treat the existence of a custody document as an answer to every cross-border question.

The FCDO’s guidance explains official routes and the importance of country-specific legal advice. A firm claiming that legal review is unnecessary is not making the family’s decision easier to assess.

3. What experience is relevant?

Look for evidence of the type of work being proposed: handling complex information, coordinating with advisers, reporting clearly and managing the practical responsibilities of an instruction. A military background alone is not a complete explanation of a cross-border investigative service.

Published case studies can be useful if their limits are clear. Confidentiality may restrict identifying details, and a responsible provider should explain what it can evidence without exposing another family. Do not demand private client records as proof of competence.

4. What will I pay, and what happens if the scope changes?

Request separate figures for professional work, travel, accommodation, local support, translations and other expenses where relevant. Check whether tax is included, what requires advance approval and when invoices fall due. Ask what happens if the available information does not support proceeding.

• Is there a defined assessment stage before a larger commitment?
• Are estimates, fixed fees and spending limits distinguished?
• How are additional costs approved and recorded?
• What are the cancellation, suspension and complaints arrangements?
• Who has authority to approve another stage?

A low headline price is difficult to compare if reporting, travel or local costs have been omitted. Our assessment and cost guide provides a structure for reviewing those differences.

5. How will information and updates be handled?

Ask for a named contact and a reporting arrangement. Establish which people may give instructions, receive documents or approve expenditure. A family-office employee or relative may coordinate administration without being authorised to make every decision.

Use an agreed channel for identity documents, court papers and precise location information. Ask who can access the material, how it is retained and how it is handed back or deleted when appropriate. An initial enquiry does not need a child’s passport or full case file.

6. What does the provider say it cannot promise?

Expect uncertainty to be described honestly. No previous success determines the outcome of a new case. Ask what circumstances could prevent work from continuing and how the child’s welfare would be considered if the proposed approach had to change.

Pegasus Ops’s service information, case history and client testimonials can form part of your review. They should be read alongside the actual proposal you receive. Reunite International is an independent source of practical advice and support for affected families.

The right first decision may be a limited assessment, a referral to another professional or a pause until a legal question is answered. A provider should be able to explain why that is the appropriate recommendation.

What to expect when approaching Pegasus Ops

We provide international child-recovery, investigative and protective support. Depending on the agreed case, that can include on-the-ground location enquiries, physical investigation and lawful surveillance, operational planning, agreed lawful physical recovery and a review of the family’s safeguarding arrangements afterwards. The published service record and case study give a starting point for assessing our experience.

Bring the same questions in this article to our own proposal. Ask who will lead the instruction, what you will receive, how reporting will work and what requires another decision. Our aim is a useful, accountable service the family and its advisers can understand before work begins.

General information, not individual legal or clinical advice. Sources checked 12 November 2026: Official routes and FCDO limits; Impartial family support. Obtain advice for the countries and circumstances involved.