Children missing from home or care

Borough Guidance

3rd Edition.

Author: Greg Vaughan, Manager, Education Statutory Services Team

15 February 2018

Contents

Title / Page No. / Paragraph No.
Section 1: Introduction / 4 / 1.0
Metropolitan Police Service definition of a missing person / 5 / 1.2
Push and Pull Factors / 5 / 1.3
Preventing children from going missing from care / 6 / 1.4
Section 2: Reporting a missing child to the police / 7 / 2.0
The person making the missing child report / 7 / 2.1
Absent not missing / 7 / 2.1.1
Suggested actions for foster carers and care home managers to take before reporting a 16 or 17-year-old child as missing / 7 / 2.1.3
Informing the local authority of children who are missing / 8 / 2.2
Children placed out of borough by this authority / 9 / 2.3
Abductions / 9 / 2.4
Section 3: Missing children – roles and responsibilities / 10 / 3.0
The police / 10 / 3.1
Local Authority Missing Children Co-ordinator (MCC) / 10 / 3.2
Missing children database / 10 / 3.3
The daily report of missing children / 11 / 3.4
Multi-Agency Sexual Exploitation group (MASE) / 14 / 3.5
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) / 14 / 3.6
Youth Offending Service / 14 / 3.7
The role of schools / 15 / 3.8
The role of Health services / 15 / 3.9
Section 4: Actions whilst a child is missing / 15 / 4.0
Searching for a missing child / 15 / 4.1
If a child in care goes missing / 15 / 4.2
The Press / 16 / 4.3
The ‘Grab-Bag’ / 16 / 4.4
Strategy meetings for children in the care of this authority / 17 / 4.5
Missing children who have a child protection plan, or are a child in need / 18 / 4.6
Children who do not have an open case with Social Care / 18 / 4.7
Section 5: When a child is found or returns home / 18 / 5.0
The return interview / 19 / 5.2
The role of the allocated social worker / 20 / 5.3
The role of the Children’s Rights Officer (CRO) / 20 / 5.4
Children without an allocated worker (FGC&RJ) / 20 / 5.5
The role of the Youth Offending Service / 20 / 5.6
Section 6: Governance / 21 / 6.0
Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) / 21 / 6.1
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) / 21 / 6.2
Annual report on Missing Children, Children Missing from Education and Elective Home Education / 21 / 6.3
Missing Children Strategic Group (MCSG) / 21 / 6.4
Training on missing children / 21 / 6.5
Section 7: Safeguarding Risks / 22 / 7.0
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) / 22 / 7.1
Radicalisation / 22 / 7.2
Forced marriage / 22 / 7.3
Trafficking / 23 / 7.4
Spirit possession / 23 / 7.5
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) / 23 / 7.6
Section 8: Voluntary Sector Organisations / 24 / 8.0
Section 9: Children’s homesand 16+ provisions / 24 / 9.0
Registered Children’s Homes in Barking and Dagenham / 24 / 9.1
List of Registered Children’s Homes and 16+ provisions / 24 / 9.2
Appendices
Appendix 1: Missing Children actions – flowchart / 28
Appendix 2: Guidance for reporting 16-17-year olds missing from care / 29
Appendix 3: Child missing from the care of the local authority –
Quick Reference Guide / 30
Appendix 4: Child missing from care or home risk assessmentform / 31
Appendix 5: Missing child who is a Child in Need or has a
Child Protection Plan - Quick Reference Guide / 34
Appendix 6: Return Interview Form / 35
Appendix 7: Missing Children Strategic Group Terms of Reference / 36

Section 1: Introduction

1.1 / The purpose of this document is to bring together all aspects of guidance and procedures on missing children for Barking and Dagenham practitioners.
This guidance explains:
  • the difference between ‘absent’ and ‘missing’;
  • the procedures for dealing with all children who go missing in Barking and Dagenham, including those in care placed out of borough;
  • the roles and responsibilities of all agencies and how they should work together to locate and safeguard missing children;
  • how information on missing children is collected and disseminated;
  • the governance of work relating to missing children;
  • the terminology that is used in relation to missing children.

1.1.1 / In this document, all below the age of 18 are referred to as children. The term ‘parent(s)’ is taken to encompass carers and legal guardians.
Missing children are potentially vulnerable to significant harm. They are:
  • unlikely to be accessing services that seek to safeguard them;
  • more likely to be drawn into risky behaviours;
  • more likely to have diminished life opportunities because of missing out on positive educational and social opportunities.

1.1.2 / Missing children are particularly at risk ofsome significant dangers:
  • trafficking;
  • abduction;
  • sexual exploitation;
  • physical assault;
  • homelessness and the additional risks to health and well-being associated with it;
  • severely disrupted and damaged education;
  • misusing substances;
  • criminal activity.

1.1.3 / The above risks are magnified for missing children because they are likely to be isolated from protective and stabilising influences in their life.

Thesafeguarding principles that this document adheres to are:

1)The safety and welfare of the child is paramount;
2)Locating and returning the child to a safe environment, and preventing further episodes of going missing, are the main objectives;
3)Child protection procedures must be initiated whenever there are concerns that a child who is, or was, missing may have suffered, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.
Appendix 1: Missing Children actions – flowchart
1.2 / Metropolitan Police Service definition of a missing person
(Taken from The Metropolitan Police Child Sexual Exploitation Operating Protocol – June 2017).
The definition of missing is: ‘Anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established will be considered as missing until located, and their well-being or otherwise confirmed.’
All reports of missing children (age 18 and under) sit within a continuum of risk from ‘no apparent risk (absent)’ through to high-risk cases that require immediate, intensive action.
It is important to understand that the police risk assess each case on merit. Children will no longer be automatically graded as medium risk (as per previous police policy) but risk graded according to the circumstances of the missing episode, taken together with relevant historic information. In each case, the action of the police action will be proportional to the risk.
1.3 /

Push and pull factors

Children run away from home, or Care for a variety of reasons. Whatever the cause, going missing indicates that there is likely to be something significantly wrong in their lives and a response must be made quickly to identify the cause and plan a response. Below are some reasons that may contribute towards a child going missing:
1.3.1 /
Push factors
  • Problems at home, ranging from a specific argument with parents to long-term abuse, neglect, or maltreatment.
  • Family break-up: young people drawn into their parents’ conflicts or neglected because of parents focusing more on their own needs.
  • Domestic violence and the desire to get away from it.
  • Parents failing to meet the needs of, or being unable to control, their child.
  • Parents being unable to protect their child due to alcohol, or substance misuse.
  • Bullying at school, or in the local community.
  • Teenage pregnancy - some young women may run away, or are forced to leave home, because they are pregnant.
  • Mental health problems (usually linked to one, or more of the above).
  • Child in care unhappy with their placement, or unhappy that their placement is going to change

1.3.2 /
Pull factors
  • Running away to be near family or friends - this is particularly likely with children in care.
  • Being encouraged to go missing with a friend, or sibling. This is a recognised link between missing and CSE.
  • Grooming by adults for sexual exploitation or trafficking.
  • Being involved with a gang.
All adults involved with the child must be vigilant to signs that the child is unhappy and may be planning to go missing. They must speak to the child to try and understand what is wrong, how it can be resolved and then act on this information.
The return interview is a key opportunity to try and stop repeat incidents of going missing, as can placement review meetings for a child in care.
1.4 /

Preventing children from going missing from care

In Barking and Dagenham, between 25-30% of children who go missing are in our Care.
Many young people have existing and known risks of going missing from care. Planning must consider these risks and ensure that preventative actions are used in the monitoring framework of the professional network.
Prior to each placement of a child, Children’s Services’ staff (placing social workers, residential workers and foster carers) must assess the risks of the child going missing. The points set out under Placement Planning (below) should be considered in the Placement Plan.
1.5 /

Placement planning

1.5.1 /
Matching

Young people should be matched to placements that meet their basic needs and address their vulnerability from the point of being placed. This includes consideration of the child’s identity and minimising the risk of making them feel outcast, or different during what is already a difficult event.

1.5.2 /
Placing
Young people should be taken to carers in a non-threatening and inviting manner. Meetings should begin with introductions of those living in the placement, tour of the environment and so on.
1.5.3 /
Discussing
Once the young person has been introduced to the environment then a supportive discussion of the rules, expectations and boundaries should be undertaken on the same day. This should include clear dialogue on what the young person can negotiate, change, or influence in the placement, what they cannot change, or influence and the reasons why. Final arrangements should be recorded and signed by all parties.
1.5.4 /
Informing
Before leaving the placement, the young person should be given information on who to contact if they are feeling uncertain, or unhappy for any reason and aren’t ready to trust the carer. It is also important to agree the soonest possible date/time the young person can contact a loved one (family, or friend) to gain reassurance. Carers must also demonstrate that they are clear on what action to take once they have confirmed for themselves that a young person is missing from the arrangements set out.
1.5.5 /

Placement reviewing

Initial meetings
The Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) should ensure that the above process was undertaken, both in terms of the recording by the social worker and in an independent discussion with the young person prior to the meeting.
1.5.6 /
Review meetings
The Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) should ensure that the young person’s voice (statement of wishes and feelings) is adequately supported and given weight in meetings and that the young person has an agreed outlet for expressing their views in placement, in contact, at school, etc. and that the young person knows at least one adult who will listen to them without judgement, or criticism.
The IRO should be informed of any long term missing child (3months or more) under their review.Children who often go missing must be identified and plans implemented to stop further occurrences. The more times a child goes missing, the more times they are at risk.
2.0 / Section 2: Reporting a missing child to the police
2.1 / The person making the missing child report
The police force where the child was reported missing is responsible for leading on the work to find the child. In exceptional circumstances, i.e. where there is sufficient information that a child is most likely to be found in another area, that responsibility may transfer to another police force.
When children go missing from home, or care, their parents, guardians, foster carers, or the manager of their children’s home must do all they can to locate the child before reporting him/her as missing. The decision when to report a child missing is based on factors such as:
  • the child has not returned home by a certain time;
  • information that suggests the child has gone missing;
  • being unable to locate, or contact the child;
the age of the child,and/or level of vulnerability.
2.1.1 /
2.1.2 / Before making a missing child report, the parent, or carer should
  • search the house and check the child’s bedroom for anything missing i.e. sports bag; clothing; toiletries; mobile phone; i-Pad/laptop (don’t tidy up and keep the child’s hair brush and toothbrush secure);
  • try to contact the child on their mobile phone. If contact is made, try to encourage the child to return and obtain as much information as possible;
  • contact the child’s family (if appropriate for a child in care) and friends to see if they know the child’s whereabouts (keep contact details of these people to pass onto the police);
  • access the child’s Oyster Card travel history;
  • note what the child was wearing when last seen (Has any other clothing been taken?);
  • obtain a recent photo of the child;
  • try to identify what may have caused the child to go missing.

2.1.3 / Suggested actions for foster carers and care home managers to take before reporting a 16 or 17-year-old child as missing are set out in Appendix 2
2.1.4 / When contacting the police, inform them of:
  • any identifying marks;
  • any risk-taking behaviour (for children in care, if there is risk assessment on the child please have this ready to give to the police);
  • when and where were the child was last seen;
  • any court orders in place.

2.1.5 / Do these additional risks apply to the missing child:
  • at risk of sexual exploitation;
  • any medical needs;
  • any special educational needs;
  • known gang affiliation;
  • drug or alcohol dependency.

2.1.6 / It is important that all possible ways of locating the child have been explored prior to reporting the child missing to the police. Record what actions were taken and who was spoken to and give this information to the police.
Usually children are reported missing from home, or care by the parent, or carer either by phoning 101, or going to their local police station. However, if it is an emergency because the child is believed to be at imminent high risk of danger or is believed to have been abducted then the parent or carer should phone 999. For children in care, the foster carer, or children’s home manager will have a guideline to follow which may differ slightly depending on the authority that commissions their service.Based on intelligence gathered, the police will determine the level of risk and what resources to use in response.
When a child is reported missing to the police, everyone able to do so must keep trying to locate the child. The police will use their resources, in an effective and efficient way, to find the child as soon as possible and to investigate any crime that may be linked to the child going missing.
During the first 48 hours of being missing, the responsibility for leading on finding the child will remain with uniformed police patrols. After 48 hours, the responsibility will be passed over to the Safeguarding Hub in the East Area (EA) Borough Command Unit (BCU).
2.2 / Informing the local authority of children who are missing
When the police interact with someone under the age of 18, they will enter details of that contact onto their Merlin system. A Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) is then created. A form, known as a ‘Merlin’, is generated and sent to the Local Authority Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). The Merlin form contains details of what has been reported to the police and any actions immediate actions undertaken.
Merlins for missing children start with ‘MIS’ so that they can be separated from other Merlins.
2.2.1 / MASH make checks to see if the child is known to Social Care:
  • If the child is known to Social Care, then the allocated social worker is informed
  • If the child is not known to Social Care, then an assessment is made to see whether Social Care involvement is required.
  • If Social Care involvement is not required, the Family Group Conference, Restorative Mediation & Crisis Intervention Team are informed about the missing child so that they can liaise with the police, offer support to the family and a return home interview to the child.

2.3 / Children placed out of borough by this authority
If a child placed out of borough by this authority goes missing, the foster carer, or care home manager, will follow their procedures for reporting a child as missing. They will report the child to their local police force, who will lead on finding the child (unless it becomes apparent that the child is more likely to be found in another area, in which case both forces will agree who on should lead on finding the child).
The Foster carer, or care home manager, will also inform the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) who are responsible for emergency out of hours Social Care work. The following day, an email is sent to MASH with the ICS number for every incident dealt with overnight. MASH will then alert the allocated social worker.
2.4 / Abductions
If a child has been reported missing, and it is known that they have been abducted, then the police will use different operational methods in response to this.
Sometimes children are reported missing to the police by a parent because the other parent has taken the child. The police may treat this as abduction.
Parents & Abducted Children Together (PACT) is a charity specialising in working with families where children have been abducted:

Reunite is a charity specialising in the movement of children across borders: