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Contents

1. Circumstances for Implementation of the Procedure
2. Agencies to be Informed
3. Strategy Meeting
4. When the Child, Adult or Family is Found
5. Children Missing from Other Authorities
6. Additional Contribution from Schools

1. Circumstances for Implementation of the Procedure

These procedures apply if a child in the following circumstances goes missing or cannot be traced:

• A child who is the subject of a child protection referral or Section 47 Enquiry;
• A child subject to a Child Protection Plan who goes missing or is removed from her/his address outside the terms of the Child Protection Plan;
• A Looked After child who leaves or is removed from his or her placement, without this being part of the Care Plan; this will include children who have absconded from their placement where there is no indication that s/he is likely to return within a short space of time or where the child’s location or reason for absence is unknown, and there is cause for concern for the child because of his or her vulnerability;
• Any child known to a statutory agency who goes missing in suspicious circumstances or about whom there are concerns - e.g. one who is subject to Initial Assessment/Core Assessment where there are developing concerns about their safety.

These procedures also apply to adults whose whereabouts become unknown in the following circumstances:

• A pregnant woman when there are concerns about the welfare of the child following birth;
• A family where there are concerns about the welfare of the child because of the presence of a Risk to Children Offender or other person suspected of previously harming a child.

2. Agencies to be Informed

In any of the above circumstances the Children’s Social Care Services must be notified immediately – this will be the child’s Lead Social Worker or, where the child does not have an allocated worker, the duty social worker or Referral and Information Officer at the Contact Centre Children’s Team.

The relevant worker in Children’s Social Care Services must then inform the relevant Police station and the Public Protection Investigation Unit in line with Police procedure.

The Manager of the Safeguarding Children Unit must be informed if a child subject to a Child Protection Plan goes missing.

If the child is the subject of a Court order, Legal Services must also be informed.

Children’s Social Care Services must contact all local agencies who know the child to inform them of the situation.

Existing records in these agencies must be checked to obtain any information which may help to trace the missing child, e.g. details of friends and relatives, and this information should be passed to the Police officer undertaking the missing person enquiry.

The Named Nurse in the relevant health authority must be notified about a missing child, family or a pregnant woman. S/he will take responsibility for initiating appropriate local or national notifications of other health authorities.

The Pupil Tracking Officer should notify colleagues in other areas about a pupil whose name may show up on the roll of a new school.

The Social Worker must ensure that all those with Parental Responsibility are informed that the child is missing.

The child’s social worker must discuss with her/his manager whether to notify members of the extended family and if so, how.

3. Strategy Meeting

If, following the above procedures, the child has not been traced a Strategy Meeting chaired by a Social Care team manager should be convened within 5 working days of notification.

Members of the meeting will need to consider whether to circulate other local authorities and other agencies in the area in which the child and family are thought to have gone.

Consideration should be given to national notification of authorities and agencies including social security, the benefits agency and child benefit agency.

A senior member of Children’s Social Care Services should seek assistance from the Department for Work and Pensions if the Police have not already contacted them.

If there is any suspicion that the child may be removed from UK jurisdiction, appropriate legal interventions should be considered and legal services consulted about options.

Follow up Children’s Social Care Services Action

If the Strategy Meeting agreed that the details of the child or family are to be circulated to other local authorities, the Lead Social Worker should draft a short letter giving details of:

• The children in the family;
• Other family members or significant adults;
• The criteria for the Child Protection Plan;
• The circumstances causing concern;
• Action required if the child is found;
• Details of contact arrangements for the Key worker/ social worker - including out of office hours contact;
• Where possible, physical descriptions of the key people and photographs, if available.

The letter should be sent to the Manager of the Safeguarding Children Unit for distribution to her/his peers nationally, who in turn should circulate within Children’s Social Care Services and local agencies.

The Manager of the Safeguarding Children Unit should inform the Head of Children’s Services and the County Councils press office.

If the child is subject to a Child Protection Plan and not found within 20 working days, the Child Protection Review Conference must be brought forward to consider whether any other action should be taken.

The Child Protection Plan may only be discontinued if the criteria are met as set out in Deciding and Recording that a Child Should be Subject to a Child Protection Plan Procedure.

4. When the Child, Adult or Family is Found

When a child is found, there should, if practicable, be a Strategy Discussion within one working day, between previously involved agencies to consider:

• Immediate safety issues;
• Whether to instigate a Core Assessment;
• Whether the Core Assessment should incorporate a Section 47 Enquiry and if so, agree if a single or joint agency enquiry is necessary;
• Who will interview the child if part of a Section 47 Enquiry;
• Who will interview the child if not a Section 47 Enquiry;
• Who needs to be informed of the child’s return (locally and nationally).

Any child who is found following a period missing should, regardless of whether s/he is believed to have experienced, or be at risk of, significant harm, be offered an interview by an independent person.  This will be co-ordinated by the Youth Justice Service.

This interview should provide a safe opportunity for the child to express their motivation for and experience of going missing, identify whether there are matters that need to be changed to reduce the likelihood of further episodes and discuss any concerns regarding her/his care including if they chose to run away from an abusive situation. It must take place without parents, foster carers or residential staff either present or in close proximity.

If the child indicates a wish to be interviewed by an alternative professional, all reasonable efforts must be made to accommodate the child’s wishes.

Anything the child says during the interview must be fed back and taken into account when decisions as to future action are taken.

If the child has been found outside of the county and is not likely to return, representatives of the ‘receiving’ authority must be involved in this Strategy Discussion and the transfer of the case must be discussed (see Children and Families in Need Moving Across Safeguarding Children Board Boundaries Procedure).

Following the Interview with the Child as Part of a Section 47 Enquiry

Where a Section 47 Enquiry has taken place, the PPIU and Children’s Service Social Care Services must have a final Strategy Discussion to agree the outcome, as for any Section 47 Enquiry, including the need for a Child Protection Conference.

Decision Making for All Cases

If the child is Looked After, the Children’s Social Care Services first line manager must decide and record whether to bring forward the next Statutory Childcare Review.

If the child is subject to a Child Protection Plan, the Child Protection Conference Chair must decide and record whether to bring forward the next Child Protection Review Conference.

The child’s social worker and their team manager must give explicit consideration on the need for legal action, and record the reasons for their decision.

5. Children Missing from Other Authorities

The Manager of the Safeguarding Children Unit will ensure that a system for keeping and referring to the notifications of children and/or families who are missing is in place and kept up to date.

6. Additional Contribution from Schools

As a result of daily registration schools are particularly well placed to notice when a child has gone missing.

Particular Circumstances

In the particular circumstances set out in section 1 above, head teachers should follow the above procedures and inform the Pupil Tracking Officer and social worker immediately a child subject to a Child Protection Plan is missing.

Missing Children Where there are no Existing Concerns

In circumstances not covered by Section 1, Circumstances for Implementation of the Procedure the head teacher should inform the Pupil Tracking Officer and Education Welfare Officer of any child who has not attended for 10 days without provision of reasonable explanation.

The Pupil Tracking Officer should ensure through the Welfare Officer that reasonable enquiries - e.g. home visit, liaison with Children’s Social Care Services and Housing, and notify the school if it appears that the child has moved out of the area.

If no information is forthcoming within 2 days, the Pupil Tracking Officer should alert her/his manager, who should inform Children’s Social Care Services and the Police Public Protection Investigation Unit in writing.

The child’s name may not be removed from the school roll until s/he has been continuously absent for at least 4 weeks and the LEA has been unable to locate the pupil and her/his family. In these circumstances the child’s name is kept on a centrally held register.

Where the child’s name has been removed from the school roll, but s/he has not been located, the head teacher should retain the pupil's records until the child is located.

If the Pupil Tracking Officer becomes aware the child has moved to another school s/he should ensure all relevant agencies are informed and arrangements made to forward records from the previous school.

End