Missing From Home/Care
A working group of professionals from across Greater Manchester reviewed the ways in which children who go missing from home or care are safeguarded before, during and after incidents and to look at some of the causes and methods of prevention.
NEW: GM Common Approach to Missing- download the document here!
Launch Event 2nd March 2012 at Hough End Conference Centre – contact gmsp@stockport.gov.uk for more information or see flier here.
The work follows consultation with stakeholders and professionals as well as children and young people. The report from all consultations is available below.
The group met for the first time on 13th June and discussed the practice in their areas and agencies. GMP highlighted their desire to include protocols for adults who go missing. This was agreed but would need to go for wide consultation with relevant adult services partners to develop it.
The protocol will include draft sections and reference to the NPIA ‘Absent’ pilot running in 3 divisions in GMP. This pilot will be fully evaluated and take into account comments from this consultation where relevant, before potential roll out in 2012. The final document will highlight changes through the pilot evaluation and following this consultation.
OCT 2011: A final draft protocol has now been produced and sent to GMSP members, LSCB Business Managers and the working group to ask them to distribute to colleagues, including in LSABs and Adult Services and children and young people, for feedback. A consultation document highlights issues for consideration by LSCBs and LSABs was also sent. If you require copies of these please contact gmsp@stockport.gov.uk. The deadline for responses is 2nd December.
The group identified other issues of prevention, media campaigns for young people and working with partners to tackle under-reporting of children from parental homes, and will pursue this alongside developing the protocol.
- Report from initial consultations with professionals and young people
- Terms of Reference for the working group
- GMP flow chart for ‘Absent’ incidents- during ACPO pilot Sep-Dec 2011
- GMP Call Takers Questions list- during ACPO Pilot Sep-Dec 2011
UK Border Agency support with information on missing children:
The UKBA can support partner agencies with information on children who are, or who are suspected to be, subject to immigration control who are missing from education or missing from home or care.
- For enquiries for children missing from education partner agencies should use this form.
- For all other enquiries, whether missing from care or missing from home, partner agencies should e-mail andrew.heseltine@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
All requests for information should contain as much information as possible to enable the missing person to be checked against records. At a minimum they will need: full names, date of birth, nationality and address of where the person went missing from.
National Context and References:
CEOP Scoping Report on Missing & Abducted Children – 2011
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Runaway and Missing Children and Adults (via the charity Missing People website)
The Children’s Society Campaign: Make Runaways Safe
Ofsted National Minimum Standards in Children’s Homes – 2011
OfSTED Framework for inspection of children’s homes - 2011
‘Running Away’ presentation – Children’s Society 2010
The 2010 Missing Persons Guidance – NPIA
Reportedly missing – NPIA 2009
Statutory Guidance on children who run away and go missing from home or care – 2009, DCSF