1.4.9 Safeguarding Children Missing from Care and Home |
Contents
1. Introduction
This Procedure is designed to support an effective collaborative safeguarding response from all agencies involved when a child goes missing. It aims to provide guidance for assessing both the risk of the child going missing and the risk to the child when they are missing. The Procedure describes appropriate staff/agency actions to locate the child, to effect their return and to identify the issues which caused, and may continue to cause, the child to go missing.
This procedure should be used in conjunction with the London Child Protection Procedures, LSCB 2010.
2. Principles
The following principles should be adopted by all agencies in relation to identifying and locating children who go missing:
- The safety and welfare of the child is paramount;
- Locating and returning the child to a safe environment is the main objective;
- Child Protection Procedures will be initiated whenever there are concerns that a child who is missing may be at risk of significant harm;
- Notification to the Police will only take place following a Risk Assessment and in clearly defined circumstances as set out in this Procedure;
- The Police will act on any report of a child missing on the understanding that a Risk Assessment has been completed;
- Every ‘missing’ child who returns will be interviewed by someone other than the direct carer;
- Where the child is known to the Children’s Social Care or meets the criteria for referral to the Children’s Social Care, the Local Authority will ensure that there is a range of service options to address the child’s needs when they return.
3. Definitions and Other Procedures
3.1 Definition of Missing
For the purpose of this Procedure a child (i.e. a young person under the age of 18 years) is to be considered ‘missing’ if their whereabouts are unknown, whatever the circumstances of their disappearance. They will be considered missing until they are located and their well being or otherwise is established.
Absences that cause concern are those where:
- Staff or carers have no indication as to the child's whereabouts; and/or
- There is no indication that the child is likely to return within a reasonable period of time; and
- There is immediate concern for the child's safety.
There may be circumstances when a child who goes missing from care is experiencing harm or is at risk of harm. This includes children subjected to fabricated or induced illness, female genitalia mutilation, abuse by children, abduction by family or others, domestic violence, sexually exploited children, trafficked children and asylum seeking children.
The Missing from Care Procedure should be followed in these instances and the London Child Protection Procedures should be followed, if required, on the child's return. Reference should also be made to the London Child Protection Procedures and the supplementary London multi-agency procedures relating to these specific circumstances (see 'Safeguarding Children Missing from Care and Home Procedure', London Safeguarding Children Board). These procedures provide information that may help staff to recognise and manage these circumstances.
The Children’s Society Still Running survey estimates that around 100,000 young people under the age of 16 run away from home or care each year across the UK. Many stay with friends or family members, but there are some who have no access to these networks of support and end up in harmful situations. Only a quarter of children who run away from home every year are reported as missing (SEU, 2002). The majority of children who run away do so to avoid their home circumstances, they typically see themselves as ‘runaways’ rather than ‘missing’ children. In terms of the steps which need to be taken to locate these children and safeguard their welfare, this procedure includes them as ‘missing’ children.
3.2 Unauthorised Absence
This category is critical to the clarification of roles of the Police and Children’s Social Care. Some children absent themselves from home or care for a short period and then return, often their whereabouts are known or may be quickly established through contact with family or friends or are unknown but the children are not considered at risk. Sometimes children stay out longer than agreed as a boundary testing activity which is well within the range of normal teenage behaviour. These children have taken ‘unauthorised absence’, and would not usually come within the definition of ‘missing’ for this Procedure.
If a child’s whereabouts are known then they cannot be ‘missing’. However, if they are known to be staying somewhere where they are in danger and it is not possible for the carer/ person with parental responsibility to remove the child or young person, then it may still be necessary to involve Police and partners in safeguarding them. Social Workers and partner agencies should always consider whether unauthorised return to family and friends, or for older young people, trips abroad place a child / young person at risk.
Unauthorised absences must be carefully monitored as the child may subsequently go missing.
3.3 Children and Young People Missing From School
Children who are missing from school may also be missing from care or home and at risk. Education staff should follow the London Guidance on Safeguarding Children Missing from School (LCPC, 2006).
If a member of Education staff becomes aware that a child may be missing, they should try to establish with the parents or carers, what has happened. If this is not possible, or the child is missing, the Designated Safeguarding Children Teacher should, together with the class teacher, assess the child's vulnerability, as per the Guidance on Safeguarding Children Missing from School, LCPC 2006 or by completing the Risk Assessment
Based on the assessment they may complete the Police Referral Form (See Appendix 5: Police Information Sharing Form) and refer the child to the Police Missing Persons Unit (See Section 3.1 for the Definition of Missing).
If it comes to the notice of a member of Education staff that a child who was missing, has returned, that member of staff should establish whether Police or Children's Social Care were involved in returning the child to their home and if not, inform Police and/ or Children's Social Care.
Children who go missing frequently place themselves at risk and the child's safety must be prioritised over any requests to keep information confidential.
3.4 Asylum Seeking Children and Young People
There are complex issues facing Asylum Seeking children. Information about some children's whereabouts is not always maintained due to the transient nature of their accommodation arrangements. Agencies must however, be alert to the fact that some children are trafficked into, within and out of the UK for custom related reasons, to be abused and exploited for commercial gain, including through sex, for domestic servitude etc. (See Safeguarding Trafficked and Exploited Children, LCPC 2006 and Safeguarding Children Abused through Sexual Exploitation, LCPC 2006).
The Local Authority, Police and other agency response to an Asylum Seeking child going missing should be exactly the same as for all other children, whether they are Looked After or living in the community.
4. Children At Risk - Prevention and Planning
4.1 Looked After Children and Young People
Research shows that children looked after by the Local Authority are over-represented in the cohort of children who go missing. Social workers and carers should familiarise themselves with the current research on the reasons why and the circumstances in which children are likely to go missing. This may help to identify high risk factors and early warning signs and allow for early intervention to be taken.
Prior to each placement of child Children’s Social Care staff (placing Social Workers, Residential Workers and Foster Carers), must assess the risks of the child absenting him/herself. The points set out in Section 4.3, Responding to Unauthorised Absences by Children and Young People in Care below should be considered and be recorded in the Placement Plan.
The likelihood of children absenting themselves can be reduced by improving the quality of care they receive, in particular:
- Reducing the instances of inappropriate placements, or inappropriate use of Section 20 in circumstances where family are known to be a danger to the child and known to interfere in the placement;
- Use of small children’s homes, which have strong leadership, proper delegation of authority and responsibility and a strong, positive staff culture;
- Positive attention given to education progress as non attendance at school and going missing are mutually reinforcing;
- Children/young people should have regular access to a trusted adult outside of the placement and access to a user-friendly complaints procedure.
4.2 Preventing Unauthorised Absence by Children and Young People in Care
Where a child seeks to leave their place of accommodation without permission, every effort should be made to dissuade them. It should be made very clear that they do not have permission to leave and concern for their safety should be communicated. Research has shown that persistent persuasion, following the young person around and even exiting the accommodation with them, can be effective in preventing them from leaving.
If a child is attempting to leave without permission and there is extreme and immediate concern for their safety or that of other people, or of damage to property, these attempts may include physically stopping the child/ young person from leaving. This could include obstructing an exit, bolting a door, or holding the young person by the arm. A professional assessment of the appropriateness of this action should always be taken, in order to ensure a breach of civil liberties does not occur.
Persuasion and physical restraint should only be considered as a short-term solution to going out without permission. Follow up work should always be carried out in the form of an action plan that analyses the motivation to leave the residence. This will inform a longer-term strategy and prevent the repeated use of physical restraint.
4.3 Responding to Unauthorised Absences by Children and Young People in Care
In these cases, foster carers/residential staff must (as far as is practicable and as staffing levels will allow) do all that a reasonable parent would do to locate and ensure the safe return of the child/young person. They should telephone the child, their friends or relatives to ascertain the child/young person’s location, collect the child/young person or negotiate some alternative arrangements. Before making these arrangements, the carer may wish to discuss the situation with the young person's social worker/Emergency Duty Group (EDT). If the carer believes the child/ young person is at risk, or the carer feels that they are unable to make an informed judgment in relation to this (for example if the child is new to the placement, or if the staff on duty do not know the child well enough) they must inform the child's social worker/group manager/EDT immediately.
If it is thought that there are specific issues of safety or public order difficulties involved in returning the child, then action should be agreed between the police, the residential unit staff/foster carer and the social worker/EDT. If the local authority knows, or believes it knows, the child’s location and there are difficulties or dangers involved in returning the child, a Recovery Order should be actively sought. These circumstances would not necessarily mean the child should be categorised as ‘missing’.
4.4 Over 24 Hours Unauthorised Absence by Children and Young People in Care
The carer, residential unit manager or supervising social worker should report any child who was not considered to be at immediate risk but who has stayed out without permission for longer than 24 hours to the Operational Manager/Head of Service and the placing authority. For Croydon children, the Quality Assurance and Safeguarding Service should also be informed and SWIFT updated. Joint consideration should be given to adopting a finite time limit within which any child should be considered as staying out without permission, after which they would be deemed ‘missing’. Initial completion or updating of the Pre-Incident Risk Assessment Record should to inform this decision (see Appendix 2: Social Care Pre-incident Risk Assessment). Once a child has moved to the ‘missing’ category the missing procedure should be followed.
4.5 Children Who Go Missing from Home
It should always be remembered that children missing from home face similar risks to those faced by children missing from care and local agencies should treat all instances where children are missing, seriously. Children living in the community are often well known to Accident and Emergency Services, Schools and other Education Establishments or the Youth Service. Where a parent or staff member has concerns that a child may go missing, the level of concern and support plan for the child should be based on the points set out below.
4.6 Social Care Pre-Incident Risk Assessment
Where Children’s Social Care staff are aware that there are major concerns that a child may go missing from care or home, the Social Care Pre-incident Risk Assessment (in Appendix 2: Social Care Pre-incident Risk Assessment) should be used. Partners may also wish to use the form to assess children and young people who are not yet known to Children’s Social Care. The key elements of the assessment should consider:
- The likelihood of the child/young person going missing, including information about previous patterns of going missing or risks associated with being missing;
- The child's view on the current placement/ stability of their relationships at home;
- The level of supervision/support available to the child/young person. This may, for example in extreme cases, include additional one-to-one support;
- The views of those with parental responsibility on what action should be taken if the child/young person goes missing or regularly returns home late;
- The level of risk presented if the child/young person goes missing - for example, a history of alcohol abuse, sexual exploitation, involvement in gangs, mental health or learning difficulties;
- Details of any medical condition and treatment that the child/young person is currently undergoing and the implications of this in terms of their absence;
- Consideration of any external influences which may result in the child's removal without consent;
- Recording all the contact names, addresses and telephone numbers of the places where the child/young person may return to.
It should be explained to the child what actions will be taken if he/she absents him/herself without permission. Where considered appropriate, the child should be given a copy of this pre-incident assessment. The Social Care Pre-incident Risk Assessment should be recorded on the child’s file in all agencies working with the child.
Wherever possible staff should enhance their ability to make a Social Care Pre-incident Risk Assessment by acquainting themselves with the current body of knowledge about children who go missing (see Appendix 1: Current Research Findings in Relation to Children Going Missing from Care and Home).
It is the responsibility of the child’s social worker to ensure that the Pre-incident Risk Assessment is completed for children in care, when a placement is approved and with every change of placement.
A copy of the Pre- Incident Risk Assessment should be held on the child’s case record in all agencies working with the child. The child/ young person should also be given a copy of their Pre- Incident Risk Assessment if appropriate.
An up-to-date description and photograph of the child must be maintained at the establishment where they are placed or on the case record for children in other placements. In obtaining photographs, appropriate permission should be obtained from the child or parent. Care should be taken to ensure that children and young people do not feel like they are having a ‘mug shot’ taken, photographs should instead be taken during relaxed or social occasions.
The Pre-Incident Risk Assessment, where used, should be reviewed regularly as part of the social worker’s pre- review report.
The child/young person and those with parental responsibility should always be informed what action will be taken if the child/young person absents her/himself without permission. Children/ young people should also be informed of their right to speak to an independent party on or prior to their return and should be given information on advocacy options, such as the Rightfully Yours Advocacy Project, which can be contacted on.
In cases where there are serious concerns about the risks associated with a child/young person going missing, consideration must be given to informing the local police and the relevant local authority (if the child/ young person is placed out of borough), at the point of admission or once the particular concerns are identified.
4.7 Information Sharing Form
Where the Risk Assessment indicates that there is a high risk of a child going missing, it is good practice for residential unit staff/foster carers to prepare an Information Sharing Form containing the information the police and other agencies will need to locate the child if they do go missing (See Appendix 4: Missing Child Risk Assessment Record) for the Looked After Child Information Sharing Form). This form should always be provided to the Police at the time of reporting a Looked After Child missing.
4.8 Significance of Children Missing from Home/Care
There is an expectation that parents/guardians will report their child/young person is missing. Failure to do so may be raised as a child protection issue and the London Child Protection Procedures must be followed.
In responding to and managing an individual child/ young person’s absence from home/Care, agencies should be alert to the potential significance of repeat missing episodes by a child. Often children who repeatedly go missing are viewed as ‘a problem’ and insufficient consideration is given to the reason why they keep absenting themselves (See Reasons for Going Missing in Appendix 1: Current Research Findings in Relation to Children Going Missing from Care and Home).
4.9 Harbouring
In order to safeguard children who repeatedly go missing and are found to be with the same person. The police may issue a written warning to any persons considered to be harbouring a young person who has run away. Repeated incidents may lead to their arrest and prosecution under Section 2 of the Child Abduction Act 1984.
5. Responding to an Incident
Summary of Response Steps:
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5.1 Category of Absence
Proper consideration needs to be given to whether the child’s circumstances are an ‘unauthorised absence’, or whether he/she is ‘missing’.
The agency first alerted to the child’s absence should (together with the child’s parents, if the child lives at home), decide whether the child is having an ‘unauthorised absence’, or whether he/she is ‘missing’. In order to inform this judgement the agency should (together with the child’s parents, as appropriate) attempt to locate the child and encourage him/her to return as quickly and safely as possible, ensuring he/she is treated positively on return.
5.2 The Social Care Risk Assessment Record
For Looked After children the Missing Child Alert (in Appendix 3: Missing Child/Family/Maternity Alert) should be completed within 24 hours of a child being confirmed missing and copied to all relevant agencies including the CQASS. The Social Care Risk Assessment Record in Appendix 3: Missing Child/Family/Maternity Alert should also be completed immediately on every occasion a child is ‘missing’ (even if it has previously been completed as part of a Social Care Pre-incident Risk Assessment).
Practitioners should use their professional judgement when carrying out the risk assessment and should take into consideration any factors, which might have a bearing on the level of risk to the child or to others.
The Risk Assessment is an aid to action, and to information sharing and recording:
Aid to action: As an action tool the purpose of the Risk Assessment is to inform single and multi-agency agency decision-making and planning to locate a ‘missing’ child. The Risk Assessment provides an indication of:
- The urgency of inquiries;
- Areas of inquiry e.g. where drugs are available or locations and networks that certain adults frequent, country of origin or country children are trafficked on to etc.;
- Type of specialist knowledge that might be needed;
- The supervision that may be required;
- Agencies who may be first alerted e.g. local Accident and Emergency services.
5.3 Aid for Information Sharing and Recording
At the time that a child goes ‘missing’ the completed Risk Assessment should be shared with all agencies working with the child and kept on the child’s file in each agency. In cases where new information becomes available and/or the child remains absent for a protracted period, the risks should be re-assessed led by the agency which has current or most recent responsibility for the child. The new risk assessment should be shared with the agencies and kept on the child’s file in each agency. The most recently completed Risk Assessment should remain on the child’s file in all agencies working with the child.
5.4 Looked After Children going Missing
Whoever discovers that a child is absent without permission from a residential unit or foster home, should immediately inform the residential unit manager/shift leader/supervising social worker on duty.
The residential unit manager/shift leader/foster carer should conduct the Risk Assessment. Where, initially, the assessment indicates that the child’s circumstances are an ‘unauthorised absence’, they should take all reasonable and practical steps, which a good parent would take, to secure the safe and speedy return of the child e.g. visiting addresses where the child may be or telephoning around known friends.
Children who fall within the category of ‘unauthorised absence’ must be the subject of continuous risk assessment whilst they remain absent. During their absence circumstances may change and the social worker/emergency duty team and the residential unit staff/foster carer need to be in a position to respond accordingly. The child’s parents must be kept informed.
Any unauthorised absence in excess of 48 hours should be reported to the Group Manager/Service Manager/Placing Authority by the residential unit manager or supervising social worker.
Joint consideration should be given to adopting a finite time limit within which any child may stay in the ‘unauthorised absence’ category, after which they would be deemed ‘missing’. Initial completion or updating of the Social Care Risk Assessment Record in Appendix 3: Missing Child/Family/Maternity Alert should inform this decision.
If there are thought to be specific issues of safety or public order difficulties involved in returning the child, then action should be agreed between the Police, the residential unit staff/foster carer and the social worker/EDT. (If the Local Authority think they know where a looked after child is, they should actively consider approaching the courts for a Recovery Order).
5.5 Social Work Notifications When Children and Young People Go Missing From Residential Care
The member of staff who discovers that the child is missing should consult the senior manager on duty, or if they are not available, the on-call manager. The staff should also refer to their organisation’s procedures. The residential staff must then inform the child/young person’s social worker and Group Manager or EDT. In an emergency situation the residential staff must call the police immediately.
5.6 Social Work Notifications When Children and Young People Go Missing From Foster Care
The foster carer/s should inform the child/young person’s social worker, group manager or EDT unless it has been decided previously at the Placement Agreement Meeting that the foster carer should contact the police directly. In an emergency situation the foster carers must call the police immediately.
5.7 Social Work Notifications When Children and Young People placed at Home Go Missing
The parent/s should notify the child/young person’s social worker, group manager or EDT, who will notify the police immediately. In an emergency situation the parent/parents must call the police immediately.
If a child remains missing beyond a few hours, all agencies should keep a record of their discussions, decisions, actions taken and messages received/ given. The child’s social worker should keep a comprehensive record of this information and any events or meetings held within the child/ young person’s case notes on Residential staff and foster carers should record this information in the daily log/ diary, which should be accessible to the social worker.
The social worker, group manager or EDT should alert parents or those with parental responsibility, unless there are clear reasons why this should not be done.
High Risk Children/Young People
The following children/ young people should automatically be considered as high risk and reported immediately to the police by the foster carer/residential staff. The carer/residential staff should then immediately inform the child's social worker/EDT who will inform their Head of Service manager. The Head of Service is responsible for informing the Assistant and Divisional Directors:
- Any child/ young person who presents an immediate risk to themselves or to other people;
- Any child who is 12 years old or younger whose whereabouts are unknown;
- Any child deemed vulnerable due to learning and/or physical disabilities, mental, emotional or physical health problems etc.;
- Any child/young person who is subject to a Child Protection Plan or Sexual Exploitation Plan;
- Any child/young person who is abducted from care;
- Any young person who is subject to a curfew and goes missing beyond the end of their curfew.
5.8 Notifying the Police
The Police should be notified as soon as possible (See Section 7.1, Multi-Agency Missing Child Arrangements below and Appendix 4: Missing Child Risk Assessment Record), together with the information from the completed Risk Assessment. The Police will conduct an investigation into all reports of ‘missing’ children.
The need to inform managers or seniors of what has happened must not be allowed to delay action to locate and safeguard the child.
5.9 Working with the Police
Police are the lead agency for the investigation of missing children. Children’s Social Care is responsible for planning and safeguarding for all children who are known to them.
If the child is a Looked After Child then Children’s Social Care is responsible for children in their care at all times and this responsibility is not absolved when a child is reported missing to the Police.
Appropriate application of the risk assessment process by other agencies should allow the Police to be confident that all children reported to them as ‘missing’ ’ fit the agreed criteria. Referring professionals should supply the Police with a copy of the Social Care Risk Assessment Record. Relevant agencies must provide sufficient information to the Police to enable all the risk factors to be considered. Following this a full investigation should be conducted by the Police.
Until such time as a child is no longer missing, regular liaison and communication should take place between the Police and referring/involved agencies, including the Social Worker and management of the placing Authority, for a Looked After Child.
5.10 Information to be Made Available
When reporting a missing child to Police (or other agencies, as appropriate), the person making the referral should complete and provide to the Police the Information Sharing Form in Appendix 4: Missing Child Risk Assessment Record. The minimum information should be:
- A description of the child (name, date of birth, physical appearance). Recent photograph, if possible;
- When the child was last seen and with whom;
- Family addresses;
- Known acquaintances;
- The basis of the risk assessment and classification of High Risk;
- The name and address of the child’s GP and Dentist.
The Police will want to search the address at which the missing child was last seen, this should be negotiated so as to cause minimum disruption to the child’s family home/residential unit/foster carer’s home.
If the Police or other referring agency additionally believes that the circumstances surrounding the child’s going missing put the child at risk of significant harm, then they should discuss these concerns with Children’s Social Care. Such situations might include:
- If the parents appear to show a lack of concern or inappropriately failed to report their child missing;
- Where a child under five years has a missing from home episode, Police and other practitioners should consider whether the level of supervision afforded to the child is adequate;
- Where a child under ten years has a missing from home episode and it is suspected that parental issues (e.g. substance abuse, domestic violence) may have been a factor;
- Repeated (more than three within 28 days) missing from home episodes, especially where there appears to be a lack of appropriate parental response;
- Where a child or young person is vulnerable (e.g. has a learning disability, physical disability, history of self-harm, has a medical condition that makes them vulnerable);
- Where a child runs away to be at an address or with adults who give cause for concern;
- Where there are concerns around possible sexual exploitation.
5.11 Children for Whom there is a Child Protection Plan who go Missing
Children who have a Child Protection Plan or who are subject to a Section 47 Enquiry need additional action to that required for other children. This includes:
- Informing the Local Authority Custodian of the Child Protection Register or equivalent, and the local Primary Care Trust's Designated Nurse;
- Ensuring that a Strategy Meeting is arranged - as soon as practicable and in any event within 7 days, the social worker should arrange a Strategy Meeting if the child is still missing. Representatives from both the Police Missing Persons’ Unit and Child Abuse Investigation Team should attend the strategy meeting, as well as other practitioners involved with the child. (See Sections 5, Children in Specific Circumstances to 8, Child Protection Conferences of the London Child Protection Procedures);
- Where a child with a Child Protection Plan has gone missing with/without their family, Children's Social Services must implement the London Notification of Missing Children/Persons Procedure attached as Appendix 8: Children Missing from Care - Return Questionnaire..
5.12 Children and Young People Not Known To Children’s Social Care
In cases, where a child is not known to Social Care and there are repeated missing incidents (three times in 28 days) Children’s Social Care will initiate an Initial Assessment.
If the child is returned within 24 hours but the Police believe any of these or other concerning circumstances might be an issue, they should complete a Common Assessment Framework Form or make a referral to Children’s Social Care even after the child is returned home.
All of the Strategy Meetings concerning these missing children will be convened and chaired by the Assessment and Community Service, but notified to the Children’s Quality Assurance and Safeguarding Service in line with the agreed procedures.
5.13 National Missing Person’s Helpline
Local Authorities in England and Scotland together fund the Helpline's Missing from Care Team which provides a specialist service to Children's Social Services when any of their 'looked after' children go missing, including asylum seeking children. This working arrangement with local authorities forms the basis of an information sharing agreement with Social Services. The Missing from Care Team can be contacted on 020 8392 4527.
The National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH) is dedicated to helping missing people, their families and those who care for them. It has information sharing agreements with the police.
The NMPH 24-hour Freefone confidential Helpline 0500 700 700 takes calls from families and police reporting missing people.
NMPH's Runaway Helpline 0808 800 70 70 is a national 24 hour Freefone Helpline for anyone aged 17 or under who has run away or been forced to leave home. Confidential advice is given, referrals made to other organisations and it can help a child or young person get to a place of safety or pass on a message.
6. Children who go Missing During External Activities
Children living in the community and Looked After Children participate in external activities. If a child goes missing whilst involved in an external activity, the person in charge of the activity will:
- Notify the local Police in that area (the investigation will be conducted by the missing persons unit where the child normally resides with the assistance of the unit where the child went missing);
- Notify their Manager;
- Notify the child’s parents and If the child is a Looked After Child, those who care for/have responsibility for the child - residential unit staff/foster carer;
- If the child is a Looked After Child, notify the Social Worker with case work responsibility for the child, if there is one;
- If the child is a Looked After Child, notify the Social Services Emergency Duty Team for any Local Authority which holds case responsibility for the child;
- Look around the local area, known favourite locations as staffing levels permit.
If the child is a Looked After Child, the manager of the residential unit and supervising social worker for the foster carer will be responsible for ensuring the general procedures in relation to a child going missing are followed.
The person in charge of the party of children and the child’s parents (or if he/she is a Looked After Child, the manager of the residential unit and supervising social worker), must decide within 24 hours of the child’s absence whether to return the party of children to their parents/residential unit/foster carers. For Looked After Children, where possible, this should be done in consultation with the missing child’s social worker.
Communication regarding the missing child must be maintained between all those who have been notified and the Police (where the child normally resides).
7. Planning and Notification Processes For Missing Children
7.1 Multi-Agency Missing Child Arrangements
All children and young people reported missing will be reviewed at a meeting convened under the Multi Agency Missing Child Arrangements. The arrangements made for the child will be agreed or ratified, depending upon what action has already taken place.
7.2 Missing Child Strategy Meetings
In the cases outlined above, Children’s Social Care must, in addition call a face to face Strategy Meeting as soon as possible and within no more than seven days, involving representatives from all relevant agencies including the Police Missing Persons’ Unit and Child Abuse Investigation Team.
The Strategy Meeting must consider the following:
- Making further attempts to contact the child/young person’s known relatives, friends, regular places of visit etc. Consideration should be given to writing to relatives and friends regarding the Department’s concerns and the expectation that the relatives/friends will inform the Department should they obtain any relevant information;
- Writing to other local authorities and local agencies with the information about the missing child/young person. Partner agencies should receive information from each other on the basis of their need to know and in order to take action to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child;
- Use of publicity. This will require appropriate agreement with the Head of Social Work, who will consult with the Director: Development and Care and assess the individual case circumstances. The Council’s press office and the Police Missing Persons’ Unit will also need to be consulted with. The child’s parents must be informed prior to a press release being made and consent should be received from them and/or those with Parental Responsibility. Legal Services should be consulted with if there are any issues regarding obtaining consent.
Social workers should be aware that it is an offence for a person to publish material which is intended to, or is likely to identify a child as being involved in court proceedings under the Children Act 1989. However, the court can give leave for this restriction to be waived if the child/young person’s welfare requires it. - Contacting the Missing Persons’ Helpline. This group provides a specialist service to Children’s Social Services when any of their looked after children go missing, including asylum seeking children. This working arrangement with local authorities forms the basis of an information sharing agreement with Social Services. The Missing from Care Group can be contacted on 020 8392 4527, 24 hours a day;
- Seeking a Recovery Order and deciding how the order should be exercised i.e. should there be a joint visit with police and Social Care staff;
- Notifying national authorities and agencies, such as Department for Work and Pensions and Child Benefit agencies;
- Appropriate legal interventions if there is any suspicion that the child may have been removed from UK jurisdiction;
- Whether a further strategy meeting should be called before the child/ young person has been missing for 7 days. The Missing Child Risk Assessment should inform this decision.
The decisions of the Strategy Meeting and the timescales must be clearly recorded, using the template at Appendix 7: Strategy Meeting Template for Missing Meetings. A copy should be kept on the child’s case record.
Further Strategy meetings can be called whenever the professionals involved wish to hold one, but must take place at a minimum, once per month.
All Strategy Discussions and meetings should be recorded by the CQASS and faxed/ emailed to the key professionals within 24 hours for their agreement
8. Communication
Should a child’s absence continue, the residential unit manager should make arrangements to inform all children and staff within the unit. Foster carers should talk to any other foster children they may have placed with them. For children in the community and known to local services, the agencies involved will need to decide who should be told.
The child’s school should always be informed; they may have valuable information which would assist in establishing his/her whereabouts. Any such information should be passed immediately to the Police.
8.1 Informing the Press
For a child who is missing from home, the parents and the police will liaise with the child’s parents about informing the press. For a Looked After Child who is missing a decision to publicise by press and/or television will be made by the Police in consultation with the social worker/team manager/residential unit/foster carer’s agency manager, and with prior warning in order to allow the child’s parents to be informed. This may be arranged at a local level, by the Borough Commander (or nominee).
8.2 Recording
If a child’s absence continues beyond a few hours and falls within this procedure, all agencies should note their discussions, decisions, actions taken and messages received/given; and the child’s social worker (or other agreed key worker/lead professional) should keep a single agreed record on the child’s file. Residential unit staff and foster carers should record the information in the daily log/diary, with a duplicate entry for the child’s file (e.g. photocopies).
9. Longer Episodes of Being Missing
9.1 Where a Child / Young Person is Missing
The relevant Head of Service, Assistant Directors and Divisional Director must be informed immediately if it is a high-risk case:
- Any child/young person who presents an immediate risk to themselves or to other people;
- Any child who is 12 years old or younger whose whereabouts are unknown;
- Any child deemed vulnerable due to learning and/or physical disabilities, mental, emotional or physical health problems etc.;
- Any child/ young person who is subject to a Child Protection Plan or Sexual Exploitation Plan;
- Any child/ young person who is abducted from care;
- Any young person who is subject to a curfew and goes missing beyond the end of their curfew.
The Assistant Directors and Divisional Director should always be informed of any child who has been missing for 48 hours. The report template at Appendix 6: Child Missing from Care - Report to Assistant Directors and Divisional Director (Social Care) should be used by the relevant Head of Service to provide a written report following a verbal notification. The Divisional Director will be responsible for deciding whether or not to inform the Executive Director immediately.
The Executive Director must be informed by the Director: Development and Care of Social Care if the child/young person remains missing for 5 days. The Executive Director will inform the Lead Member for Children and Young People’s Service when appropriate.
In high-risk cases, the manager of the residential unit should notify the Registration Authority (Ofsted).
Should a child/young person’s absence continue for more than 48 hours, foster carers/residential staff should inform members of the foster home/care home. In this way, distressing rumours may be avoided and additional information might be obtained. Any such information should be passed immediately to the police. Foster carers/ residential staff may seek support from the child/ young person’s social worker or supervising link worker. Arrangements should be made for an interpreter if required.
The child’s carer/residential staff should always inform the child’s school and they may have valuable information that could assist in locating the child’s whereabouts. Any such information should be passed immediately to the police, the child’s social worker and any other involved agency as appropriate.
9.2 Where a Child / Young Person is Missing for more than 7 Days
The child/young person’s social worker, in consultation with the CQASS and the Service Manager for the Operational Team, should arrange a further Strategy Meeting if the child remains missing for 7 days. The meeting should include all the key people, including foster carer/residential staff/parents, police, Council’s press office, Legal Services etc. to decide whether any other action should be taken. Consideration should also be given to invite a representative from the National Missing Persons’ Helpline (see contact details in Section 8.1, Informing the Press). The Operational Managers in the CQASS should chair the meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure that all appropriate action is being taken to locate the child and to consider what further action needs to be taken.
The Service Manager and Head of Service must be updated weekly by the Operational Manager on all missing children and informed of progress against the action plan. The Head of Service must update the Directors of Social Work and Youth Inclusion on a weekly basis.
If the child/young person is still missing after 7 days, two weekly (or, as required) meetings should be held. The Social Care Service Manager, following every meeting must provide a written briefing for Director: Development and Care who will brief the Executive Director. The Executive Director will brief the Lead Member for Children and Young People.
The Croydon Missing Children’s Panel (CMCP) will meet on a monthly basis in order to undertake the following tasks:
- Review the data collected by the Police on the cohort of young people who have gone missing more than twice in a 12 month period, or missing for lengthy single periods, who may be involved in serous criminal activities, vulnerable to sexual exploitation or particularly vulnerable due to their age (under 12) to identify;
- Review the profile of where children and young people are going missing from;
- To identify the Local Authority which has responsibility for the young person’s welfare;
- The characteristics (age, ethnicity, legal status etc.) of the children and young people;
- The pattern of their missing behaviour;
- The type and degree of risk they are believed to be facing and any emerging patterns of their going missing;
- Actions which should be taken on the basis of the overall profile.
Compare Police data with that collated by partners in order to obtain the best possible data about missing children and young people and ascertain and remedy any problems with reporting missing children and young people by the agencies concerned.
Consider each child or young person reported to the Police or Children’s Social Care as missing in order to decide:
- Whether the report to Police was appropriate; made within a time scale suitable to the assessed degree of risk; whether all the initial checks described in the Croydon protocol had been carried out within a safe time scale;
- Whether there are training or practice issues needing to be addressed with the referrer, or other involved agency;
- The nature and degree of risk to each child or young person;
- Actions which should be taken and services offered in order to reduce the risk to the particular child or young person;
- The need for a specific strategy meeting, child protection conference, or sexual exploitation meeting;
- Action which will be taken to detect and disrupt adults who encourage or allow children or young people to place themselves at risk by going missing, or who harbour children or young people who are missing;
- To review actions taken and monitor the progress of the children and young people concerned.
To encourage the full range of legal alternatives in relation to missing children and young people, including the use of recovery orders and abduction notifications.
To report regularly to the Director of Social Care, the Executive Director and the Safeguarding Board on children missing from care and home on a quarterly basis and make recommendations to the Board and local agencies or partnerships, as required.
9.3 Still Missing after 3 Months
If the child/young person continues to be missing after three months, the Director: Development and Care should consider chairing the meeting on a fortnightly basis to review all the actions taken so far and consider what further action to be taken, until the child/young person is recovered. Once a child/young person has been missing for 6 months, the Executive Director will review the case.
10. Locating the Child and Their Return
10.1 Planning for when the child is Located and their Return
If a child is ‘missing’ the Police and parents, Social Worker, Residential Unit Staff/Foster Carer and Police should commence contingency planning for when the child is located. Plans should include:
- Will the child return to the placement/home address or are they safe in the location where they are found?
- If the child is to return, how will s/he be conveyed to their placement/home address?
- Do the Police wish to interview the child where they are located or after they have returned their placement/home address?
- Who will be an appropriate ‘independent person’ to talk to the child when s/he is located/returned?
- Children who have repeated ‘unauthorised’ absences should also be offered an independent person to talk to. Consider activating this when a set number of absences are exceeded in a given period such as three occasions in 28 days.
Normally the residential unit staff/foster carer or social worker/Emergency Duty Team out of hours will make arrangements for the transportation of a child to his/her placement/home address.
The police are however not given the power to use force to take children into Police Protection. There will be occasions when a child is found in a location that may be considered unsuitable, but where there would be no legal grounds for taking them into police protection or where to do so would be unsustainable because of the child unwillingness to co-operate. In these cases police and the accountable manager from Children’s Social Services will need to liaise to discuss what steps may be necessary in order to safeguard the child’s welfare.
Until the child is returned home, further reviews of the missing episode should take place every seven days. Within a maximum of 28 days, the case should be jointly reviewed by the Police and Children’s Social Care. The Divisional Chief Inspector and the Assistant Director for Children’s Social Care must be kept informed of progress.
10.2 Interviews
Police interview: the Police will interview all children when they return. The interview consists of a simple series of questions about where the child was whilst missing, where they went, what they did, who they were with etc. If the child makes an allegation of crime that occurred whilst they were missing or that contributed to him/her running away, the Police will record this allegation and take appropriate action.
Independent interview: children should be informed that they would be expected to talk about their absence to someone independent of their parents/carers on their return. Providing children with an opportunity to talk is key to safeguarding them. The interview and the actions that following from it must:
- Identify and deal with any harm the child has incurred (his/her medical condition should be discussed immediately and any need for medical attention assessed);
- Understand and address the reasons the child ran away (the child’s living arrangements/placement might need to be reviewed, a CAF may need to be completed);
- Try to avoid it happening again.
The child must receive the interview with the independent person within 72 hours of being located or returning from absence:
- For Looked After Children, it is the responsibility of the residential unit manager/supervising social worker and Placing Authority to ensure that this happens;
- For children living in the community, the Police and Children’s Social Services have responsibility for ensuring that opportunity for an independent interview is provided.
The independent person could be a social worker other than the child’s social worker, if they have one, or a teacher, school nurse, Connexions, Youth or YOT Worker, a voluntary sector practitioner or a police officer whom the child knows and trusts. The independent interview should be with someone the child trusts and who is separate from the police and children’s social services interview. The child should be asked who they wish to speak to.
10.3 Communication and Further Action
The child’s parents/carers and all agencies informed of the absence should be advised of the child’s return without delay.
Involved agencies should decide whether a Strategy Discussion is required or should be requested (See the Sections 5, Children in Specific Circumstances to 8, Child Protection Conferences of the London Child Protection Procedures).
11. Longer Absences
11.1 Strategy Discussions and Keeping Cases Open
Whenever a child is missing for more than 28 days, a Strategy Discussion should be held, arranged by Children’s Social Care and the Police invited (if the child has a Child Protection Plan, then officers from the Missing Persons’ Unit and the Child Abuse Investigation Unit or if not then the Missing Persons’ Unit only) (See the Sections 5, Children in Specific Circumstances to 8, Child Protection Conferences of the London Child Protection Procedures). All agencies who attend/are invited to this meeting are responsible for ensuring that there is a clear statement of the actions being taken in respect of the child’s absence and should satisfy themselves that all that should be done is being done.
For Looked After Children or those known to Children’s Social Care, whilst the child remains absent, his/her case should be identified as ‘open’ on the Children’s Social Care client database. It is recommended that a senior manager in Children’s Social Care or equivalent in responsible partner agencies, should formally review all cases where children have been absent for six months or more and should satisfy him/herself on the actions taken to recover the child.
All Police missing person’s files will remain ‘live’ until the child is located and returned to their home, or whose circumstances are considered to be appropriate.
12. Information Sharing
Each Local Authority should have a Named Person with responsibility for Missing Children. The named person must be informed of all children who go missing and will record the details on the Children’s Social Care client database.
Children’s residential units should supply monthly information to the Commission for Social Care Inspection about children who have gone missing.
Partner agencies should receive information from each other on the basis of their need to know and take action to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child.
There should be regular inter-agency meetings to monitor the implementation of this Procedure and exchange information. There should be regular reports on children who go missing to the senior management, elected members, trustees and/or governors of all partner agencies.
Appendix 1: Current Research Findings in Relation to Children Going Missing from Care and Home
The majority of children under the age of 16 who go missing are runaways.
Prevalence:
- Research has shown that every year approximately 100,000 under 16s run away;
- 52% of young runaways returned to their home or care placement after one night away;
- One in six young runaways sleep rough and one in 12 are hurt or harmed while they are away.
Profiles of the Children:
- Peak ages for running away are between 13 and 16 years old and a quarter are under 11 years old. The risk of harm to a child is increased the younger the child is, and the more frequently they run away;
- The main causes of running away are family conflicts and personal problems such as relationships, substance misuse, bullying and truancy. Children who run away from care are often unhappy with their placement or are influenced by others and do so to ‘fit in’ with the group;
- Girls are more likely to run away from home than boys, but boys are likely to first run away at an earlier age and to run away more often;
- Among children who go missing from care, those assessed as having emotional and behavioural difficulties are a high risk group often. They go missing at a younger age, more often and to stay away longer. They are far more likely to have been excluded from school and to have past convictions for offending than others who go missing.
Patterns of Going Missing:
- Four out of five children who run away do so only once or twice;
- Twenty percent of children going missing under the age of 16 are pushed away or forced to leave home;
- Very few children go outside their local area while away;
- Children under 16 are most likely to run away because of abuse and neglect. Whilst those who first run away or are forced to leave at the age of 16 or 17 are more likely to do so for reasons of family conflict and breakdown;
- Children in residential placements were likely to have gone missing more often in the past than those going missing from foster placements. Children aged 14 and 15 tended to stay away longer;
- For children who go missing often, there is a progressive risk of detachment from family, carers and school (exclusion or non-attendance);
- Evidence would suggest that once patterns of school non-attendance and running away become established they are mutually reinforcing;
- Children who go missing often are also more likely to have problems with depression, drugs and alcohol and to have involvement in offending;
- Children with previous convictions were far more likely to run away than those who had none.
Reasons for Going Missing:
Push Factors
- Problems at Home - For those who ran away repeatedly, particularly high levels of family problems and disruption were identified;
- Family Break-up - Conflict with parents or step-parents is the most common reason by children for running away. The need to escape difficulties between parents - including domestic violence, drug and alcohol problems and persistent arguments - were a major influence for some young people; as were boundary and control issues and feelings of unfair treatment for others. Running away was rarely motivated by the need for excitement
Over a quarter of the children in the Safe on the Streets survey were attempting to escape physical and emotional abuse, rejection or neglect. British and American studies support the finding that abuse and neglect are important factors underlying the decision to run away, especially for children who first run away from home before the age of 11; and even among those who have run away only once or twice; - Mental Health Problems - A disproportionate number of young people that runaway from home have some sort of mental health problems;
- Bullying - Children who are severely bullied are more likely to run away from school, home and care. Problems at school are only likely to be a direct trigger for running away for a relatively small minority of children.
Pull Factors
- Running to be near Friends or Family - Especially when a young person is in care and there are problems in contact arrangements with family and friends;
- Grooming for Potential Sexual Exploitation or Child Trafficking - Young people may run away or go missing following grooming by adults who will seek to exploit them.
Follow-up Schemes:
- Follow-up schemes which provide children who run away with an opportunity to talk about their reasons for running away, and link children who run away and their families into longer-term help if they need it, have been successful in reducing the numbers of young people who run away repeatedly by up to two-thirds and have also achieved a reduction of one-fifth in the number of runaways arrested.
Appendix 2: Social Care Pre-incident Risk Assessment
Click here to view Appendix 2: Social Care Pre-incident Risk Assessment.
Appendix 3: Missing Child/Family/Maternity Alert
Click here to view Appendix 3: Missing Child/Family/Maternity Alert.
Appendix 4: Missing Child Risk Assessment Record
Click here to view Appendix 4: Missing Child Risk Assessment Record.
Appendix 5: Police Information Sharing Form
Click here to view Appendix 5: Police Information Sharing Form.
Appendix 6: Child Missing from Care - Report to Assistant Directors and Divisional Director (Social Care)
Appendix 7: Strategy Meeting Template for Missing Meetings
Click here to view Appendix 7: Strategy Meeting Template for Missing Meetings.
Appendix 8: Children Missing from Care - Return Questionnaire
Click here to view Appendix 8: Children Missing from Care - Return Questionnaire.
Appendix 9: Useful Contacts
| Croydon Police Missing Persons Unit |
69 Park Lane Tel: 0208 649 1891 Missing Person Reporting Tel: 0300 123 1212 |
| Croydon Youth Offending Team |
| Tel: 0208 404 5800 |
| CAMHS |
Child Tel: 0203 228 0000 |
| Education Welfare Officer |
| Tel: 0208 726 6176 |
| Missing Persons Charity |
| Tel: 0208 392 4527 |
| Hospitals |
Croydon University Hospital: 0208 401 3000 St George’s: 0208 672 1255 Princess Royal: 01689 863 000 Bethlem Royal: 0203 228 6000 St Helier: 0208 296 2000 |
10. Appendix 10: Missing from Care Flowchart
Click here to view Appendix 10: Missing from Care Flowchart.
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