Delivering international child abduction mediation Australia through collaborative expertise, specialist training and child-centred practice.
By Maurice Edwards, Special Counsel
The team at Rafton Family Lawyers feel very privileged to continue to partner International Social Service Australia (ISSA) for a fourth consecutive year. ISSA’s vision, that children and families be connected wherever they are in the world, is shared by the team at Rafton Family Lawyers and particularly by our Arbitration and Mediation Division (RAMP) led by our RAMP leader, Maurice Edwards. Similarly, ISSA’s mission, to support, protect and reunite children and families who have been separated by international borders, is a mission endorsed by our firm and our team.
The partnership between ISSA and Rafton Family Lawyers commenced in late 2021 and was initiated by Kay Hardefeldt, ISSA’s current manager IPCA-Social Work and Maurice. Kay and Maurice trained together in the mediation of child abduction matters with judges, lawyers, mediators and social scientists in Japan in 2015. That international mediation training initiative was organised by the International Liaison Judges of the Family Court of Australia, namely the Chief Justice Diana Bryant and Her Honour Justice Bennett. That initiative occurred shortly after Japan became a signatory to the Hague Child Abduction Convention as Japan’s government wanted the country to be seen internationally as a good international citizen so far as to the return of abducted children to their place of habitual residence was concerned. Upon their return to Australia, Kay and Maurice convinced management at both ISSA and Rafton Family Lawyers to combine intellectual resources so as to better serve their clients.
Maurice has notarised the NSW Department and Community and Justice’s, intercountry adoption documents for over 20 years. He is an accredited Family Law Specialist, an accredited Mediator and Arbitrator and a registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP). Maurice is also a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and Treasurer and NSW representative of the Australia Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators (AIFLAM).
Kate Rafton, the principal of Rafton Family Lawyers and a RAMP team member is an accredited family law and children’s law specialist, a trained nurse and accredited Arbitrator and Mediator. Kate has had extensive experience acting in high conflict matters in both the NSW Children’s Court and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Cassandra Youssef is a special counsel at Rafton Family Lawyers and a team member of RAMP, is an accredited family law specialist, an accredited Arbitrator, Mediator and Parenting Coordinator. Cassandra also has extensive experience acting for parties in both the NSW Children’s Court and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Team members from ISSA and RAMP have collaborated in the past and ISSA’s employees have presented at RAMP’s Reflections in Law Conferences over the last 5 years. Deputy CEO Damon Martin presented both at RAMP’s first Reflections in Law Conference in Huskisson, with Belinda Li and also the second conference in Orange with International adoptee Joel de Carteret. Managing lawyer Jessica Raffal presented at RAMP’s most recent Reflections in Law Conference in Wollongong. Another former client of ISSA, Emily Haikaiti, now a director, facilitator, ambassador and changemaker will be the special guest speaker at the Reflections in Law Conference to be held in Mudgee in March 2026.
We at RAMP and Rafton’s value our partnership with ISSA and continue to refer to ISSA “left behind parents” whose children have been abducted from Australia to assist in seeking to return the children to Australia if it is appropriate to do so.
Similarly, we assist clients of ISSA in domestic family law matters in Australia to resolve parenting issues when abducted children have been returned to Australia.
We look forward to continuing our valuable partnership with International Social Service Australia to support, protect and reunite children and families who have been separated by international borders.