1.4.6 Children Missing from Home |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
These procedures state how staff should respond where a child runs away from home.
They should be read in conjunction with the East London Joint Protocol Framework for agencies supporting children who run away from care and home and the London Child Protection Procedures, Section 5.28, Missing Families for whom there are Concerns for Children or Unborn Children and Section 5.29, Missing from Care and Home.
This chapter was included in the handbook in December 2011.
Contents
- When a Child is Missing from Home
- When a Missing Child is Located
- Return Interviews
- Reporting to the Area Child Protection Committee
1. When a Child is Missing from Home
When the Children's Social Care Service is notified that a child is missing, the information should be assessed to determine the level of risk to the child and whether the child is a Child in Need.
If the missing child is:
- The subject of a Child Protection Plan;
- The subject of a Child Protection Enquiry;
- The subject of an Initial Assessment or Core Assessment;
- Or where professionals agree that the child is a Child in Need and there are concerns for a child's welfare or safety if he or she is not located, the following persons/agencies must be notified:
- The relevant Police station/Missing Persons Unit and the Police Public Protection Unit;
- The Manager of the Record of Children with a Child Protection Plan and the Designated Nurse (where the child is subject of a Child Protection Plan);
- All local agencies that know the child - to obtain any information that may assist the Police to trace the child;
- The Education Welfare Service - to notify colleagues in other boroughs;
- All those with Parental Responsibility and, where appropriate, members of the extended family;
- Legal Services (if the child is subject to Court proceedings).
Any unauthorised absence lasting for 24 hours should be reported to the Designated Manager (Missing Children) by the child's social worker.
If the child is not traced, a Strategy Meeting should be held within 5 working days to consider:
- Whether to circulate the child's details to other local authorities and agencies in the area where the child may be;
- Notifying national agencies, including the Benefits Agency and Child Benefit Agency;
- Appropriate legal action if there is any concern that the child may be removed from the jurisdiction.
If the child is the subject of a Child Protection Plan the child's social worker should send a draft letter to the Manager of the Record of Children with a Child Protection Plan. The letter should include:
- Details of the family and children;
- A description of the circumstances leading to the child/ren being made subject to a Child Protection Plan;
- A description of the risks involved if the family are not located;
- A brief description of the individuals in the family, including identifiable features;
- The likely location of the family (including addresses of key friends and relatives);
- What the authority should do if the family is located, e.g. who should they contact? Do you want them to take immediate legal action to protect the children?
If a child the subject of a Child Protection Plan is still missing after 20 working days, a Child Protection Review Conference must be convened to consider any additional action.
2. When a Missing Child is Located
When a child, who has been the subject of a Strategy Meeting, is located, a further Strategy Meeting between the agencies involved should be convened to consider:
- Immediate safety issues;
- Whether to initiate a Child Protection Enquiry;
- Who will interview the child (whether or not a Child Protection Enquiry is to take place);
- Whether an Initial Assessment or Core Assessment should be completed to determine any services required;
- Who needs to be informed of the child's return (both locally and nationally).
Where a child is located in the area of another local authority and is unlikely to return to the borough, a representative of the local authority where the child now lives should be invited to the Strategy Meeting to consider a transfer of the case.
The case should not be closed until a transfer meeting has taken place.
If the child is the subject of a Child Protection Plan, the child's social worker in consultation with the Manager of the Record of Children with a Child Protection Plan, must consider the need to convene a Child Protection Review Conference.
3. Return Interviews
| 3.1 | Where a child known to Southwark Children's Social Care returns, he or she should be offered an interview with a social worker and/or an independent professional or the child's choice of an alternative professional. The interview offers the child an opportunity to discuss any concerns away from the parents or carers. Where a child has indicated a wish to speak to an independent professional, the social worker must ensure Referral details are passed to the independent agency providing the return interview. Parents will need to be informed, and involved if this is appropriate. The purpose of the return interview is to:
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| 3.2 | Where a child returns and is not previously known to Southwark Children's Social Care Service, he or she will initially be interviewed by a representative from the Police Missing Persons Unit. They will offer the young person a chance to speak to an independent person about the reasons for running away. At the moment this service is provided by the 'appropriate adult' service in Southwark. If the child in question is:
A referral will be made to the Referral and Assessment Service for an Initial Assessment to be carried out. |
4. Reporting to the Area Child Protection Committee
The Designated Manager (Missing Children) will report to the Director of Children's Social Care and Southwark Safeguarding Children Board information about patterns of absence among children in Southwark, including:
- Numbers of missing children episodes;
- Child protection implications;
- Actions taken when children return;
- Any practice and procedural issues.
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