Missing children
A child missing is a huge worry. However, there are local, robust pathways in place to help support. First and foremost, if you're aware that a child is missing (whether that be your own child or one in your care, eg a pupil at school) you need to report the child as missing to the police as soon as possible. You don’t need to wait for any length of time to do this.
A child going consistently missing is often a key indicator of child exploitation.
It would be helpful for the police to know when they were last seen, what they were wearing, suggested locations, friends or places they’ve been found previously. If they have a history of being involved in child exploitation this is important information to share.
We expect parents, carers and professionals to know the whereabouts of any children in their care, and to report them missing to the police as a priority, especially when exploitation is a concern.
Children should be reported missing by calling West Mercia Police on 101. If you feel a child is in immediate danger, please contact them on 999. You can also submit non-urgent enquiries online.
Establishing a better relationship with children may have positive effects on reducing missing episodes, as well as such things as installing GPS apps to track their whereabouts if they have a smartphone. You can search on the internet 'GPS apps for children' to download one for you and the child.
If a child in your care doesn’t want such actions, consider:
- Why would this child NOT want for me to know their whereabouts
- Who is putting pressure on this child for this NOT to happen
- How can I get the child to see what I’m doing is trying to keep them safe
- What are the push factors (things pushing them from home) and what are the pull factors (pulling them into exploitation) that need to be considered
When a child goes missing, we have a statutory duty to complete a ‘Return Home Interview’. These are important conversations with the child to understand their safety, circumstances of the missing episode and any ongoing risks.
Sometimes parents or carers worry about what this means for them – again we're here to support, and only want to prevent missing episodes from happening again. There can be lots of reasons why a child goes missing, not necessarily exploitation, but it does increase the risk. If we're already working with you, we might ask the child to access the Mind of My Own website which allows the child to log their own thoughts and feelings.
There are UK charities which offer support in cases of missing people: