CHAPTER 23: Missing Child, Adult or Family |
This chapter was revised in September 2009 to include a link to the recently published Government Guidance
- see below. In March 2010, Section 1 was revised to include a reference to the need to notify the Children and Families Across Borders (formerly known as International Social Services) where there is a suspicion that a missing child may have gone abroad.
RELEVANT CHAPTERS AND GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE
Protocol and Guidance for Managing Children who Go Missing
Revised Statutory Guidance for Children Missing from Home and Care (July 2009)
Contents
- Introduction
- Circumstances for Implementation of Procedure
- Agencies to be Informed
- Strategy Meeting
- When Child, Family or Adult Found
- Child Indicated by Other Local Authorities to be Missing
- Additional Contribution of Schools
1. INTRODUCTION
| 1.1 | See also Protocol and Guidance for Managing Children who Go Missing. |
| 1.2 | Local agencies and professionals, working with children and families where there are outstanding child protection concerns, must bear in mind that unusual non-school attendance, missed appointments, or abortive home visits, may indicate the family has moved out of the area. |
| 1.3 | This possibility must also be borne in mind when there are concerns about an unborn child who may be at future risk of Significant Harm. |
| 1.4 | Children's Social Care and police should be informed immediately such concerns arise and in the case of children taken overseas it may be appropriate to contact the Consular Directorate at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which offers assistance to British nationals in distress overseas (Tel: 020 7008 1500). |
| 1.5 | Where there are outstanding child protection concerns and there is a suspicion that a child and family has moved overseas, Children's Social Care should notify Children and Families Across Borders (formerly known as International Social Services). |
2. CIRCUMSTANCES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PROCEDURE
| 2.1 | This procedure applies if a child in the following circumstances goes missing or cannot be traced:
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| 2.2 | These procedures also apply to adults whose whereabouts become unknown in the following circumstances:
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3. AGENCIES TO BE INFORMED
| 3.1 | In any of the above circumstances the Children's Social Care Lead Social Worker, social worker or duty officer must be notified immediately. |
| 3.2 | Children's Social Care must then inform:
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| 3.3 | Existing records in these agencies must be checked to obtain any information which might help 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. |
| 3.4 | The designated nurse for child protection 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 PCTs. |
| 3.5 | Schools should upload information about the missing child/ren on the Department of Education S2S (school to school) website. |
| 3.6 | The social worker should discuss with her/his manager whether to notify members of the extended family and if so, how. |
4. STRATEGY MEETING
| 4.1 | Thames Valley Police Missing Person policy is under review and the Force cannot commit to the following (nonetheless desirable) procedures. |
| 4.2 | If, following the above procedures, the child has not been traced a Strategy Meeting should be convened within 5 working days. |
| 4.3 | 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. |
| 4.4 | Consideration should be given to national notification of authorities and agencies including social security, the benefits agency and child benefit agency. |
| 4.5 | A senior member of Children's Social Care should seek assistance from the department for work and pensions / Inland Revenue if the police have not already contacted them. |
| 4.6 | A senior member of Children's Social Care should seek assistance from the Department for Work and Pensions / Inland Revenue if the police have not already contacted them. |
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| 4.7 | If the Strategy Meeting agree details of the child / family are to be circulated to other local authorities, the Lead Social Worker should draft a short letter giving details of:
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| 4.8 | The letter should be sent to the designated safeguarding manager who in turn must:
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| 4.9 | If the child is subject of 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. |
| 4.10 | A child's name may only be removed from the Record of Children with a Child Protection Plan if the criteria for discontinuation are met (see "Discontinuing the Child Protection Plan" - contained in Section 9, Actions & Decisions of the Conference, of the Child Protection Conferences Procedure). |
5. WHEN CHILD, FAMILY OR ADULT FOUND
| 5.1 | When a child is found, there should, if practicable, be a Strategy Discussion within the working day between previously involved agencies to consider:
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| 5.2 | Any child 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 a social worker and/or a police officer or an independent person. This interview should provide a safe opportunity for the child to discuss any concerns regarding her/his care including if s/he 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. |
| 5.3 | If the child indicates a wish to be interviewed by an alternative professional, all reasonable efforts must be made to accommodate her/his wishes. |
| 5.4 | If the child has been found outside of the local authority 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 also Children Moving Across Boundaries Procedure). |
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| 5.5 | Where a Section 47 Enquiry has taken place, the CAIU and Children's Social Care must have a final Strategy Discussion to agree the outcome including any need for a Child Protection Conference. |
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| 5.6 | If the child is Looked After, Children's Social Care 1st line or other locally defined manager, must decide and record whether to bring forward the next child care review. If the child is subject of a Child Protection Plan, the designated safeguarding manager must decide and record whether to bring forward the next review conference. |
| 5.7 | The social worker and team manager must give explicit consideration to any need for legal action, and record the reasons for their decision. |
6. CHILD INDICATED BY OTHER LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO BE MISSING
| 6.1 | Each designated safeguarding manager must ensure that duty systems incorporate a method for keeping and referring to the notifications of children and/or families who are missing. |
| 6.2 | If, after 2 years there is no communication from the authority where the child and/or family went missing, the child and/or family's details may be removed from the list. |
7. ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTION OF SCHOOLS
| 7.1 | As a result of daily registration schools are particularly well placed to notice when a child has gone missing. |
| 7.2 | In the particular circumstances in 2.1 and 2.2 head teachers should follow the above procedures and, after making enquiries about the child's whereabouts, inform the EWO and social worker immediately a child who is the subject of a Child Protection Plan is missing. |
| 7.3 | In the more general circumstances not covered by para.2.1- 2.2 the head teacher should inform the EWO of any child who has not attended for 10 days without provision of reasonable explanation. |
| 7.4 | The EWO should make reasonable enquiries - e.g. home visit, liaison with Children's Social Care, housing and notify the school if it appears that the child has moved out of the area. |
| 7.5 | If no information is forthcoming within 2 days, the EWO should alert her/his manager, who should write to inform Children's Social Care and police CAIU. |
| 7.6 | A 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 Children's Services (Education) has been unable to locate the pupil and her/his family. |
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| 7.7 | There should be a 'child missing from education (CME named point of contact in every local authority and every practitioner working with a child has a responsibility to inform that CME if s/he knows or suspects that a child is not receiving education. |
| 7.8 | The above guidance includes background information about why children may go missing and 'process steps' based upon best practices to help Children's Services (Education) develop processes for:
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