Missing From Home
Over 80,000 are children are reported missing each year
When a child runs away they are at risk of serious harm. You do not have to wait 24 hours before reporting somebody missing. You can make a report to the police as soon as you have done as much as possible to locate your child and that you consider them to be missing. There is no minimum waiting time. Dial 999 in an emergency or call your local police force immediately on 101.
A child or young person will be considered missing if he / she is absent from their home or placement and:
- their whereabouts are unknown or can’t be established
- their behaviour is out of character and/or
- their vulnerability means that there is a cause to be concerned for their welfare or safety.
Why do Children Run Away?
Young people run away or go missing from home and school for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it’s just for a few hours or overnight, and sometimes it can be for longer. Children may run away from a problem, such as abuse or neglect at home, or to somewhere they want to be. They may have been coerced to run away by someone else.
A child going missing is often a cry for help and a sign that something is wrong in that young person’s life. They may be experiencing violence at home, drug or alcohol issues, difficulties at school, bullying or sexual abuse.
Running away or going missing is also a key early indicator of criminal exploitation or Child Sexual Exploitation. Research by The Children’s Society has found that many as 70% of children who are sexually exploited go missing from home.
Main reasons why young people run away:
- Problems at home – these can range from arguments with parents, to conflict between parents, to long-term abuse or neglect. Some young people in care run away to be closer to friends or family.
- Problems at school – children who are being severely bullied are more likely to run away as are those who feel negatively about school in general.
- Problems elsewhere – young people may run away after being groomed by adults who want to exploit them for criminal or sexual activity or simply encouraged to run by older friends.
- In many cases running away will be a combination of these factors
Children who run away may also exhibit other behaviour, which can include:
- Skipping school regularly for either part of the day or more.
- Expressing their unhappiness about any changes regarding adults who live in their home (for example if a parent or parent’s partner moves in or out).
- Beginning to behave in a more challenging way.
- Suddenly spending time with older friends or receiving a lot of text messages.
- Showing signs of other unusual attributes such as tiredness, lateness, dirty clothes or being hungry.
Whatever the reason, it is thought that approximately 25% of children and young people that go missing are at risk of serious harm. There are particular concerns about the links between children running away and the risks of sexual exploitation. Missing children may also be vulnerable to other forms of exploitation, to violent crime, gang exploitation, or to drug and alcohol misuse.
Children and young people who regularly go missing from home or care have been found to be at significant increased risk of:
- becoming involved in crime to survive, from stealing to criminal gang involvement;
- sexual exploitation and abuse
- drug and alcohol misuse
- mental and sexual health issues
- exclusion from school and failure to meet educational milestones
Whatever the reason, the tragic fact is that children and young people who go missing or absent are more likely to be exploited.
Children who go missing often head to town centres, parks or any places where they may mix with other young people to hang out and – in some cases – experiment with drink, drugs, or they may just be on their own. People who wish to exploit children will deliberately target these places to take advantage of vulnerable young people.
There’s some great advice on the Missing People website. They run a free helpline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s free to call or text and is totally confidential. Call or text 116 000. Email 116000@missingpeople.org.uk.
The Children’s Society has a developed a series of guides with useful information and advice on what to do when a child goes missing and how to prevent children from going missing in the first place:
- Thinking of running away? is a guide for children and young people about the risks of running away and advice on where they can find help.
- What to do if your child goes missing explains to parents and carers why children and young people run away and what steps to take if a child goes missing.
- The Missing Children Response Assessment Tool aims to ensure that no child falls through the gaps in how different agencies work together and communicate with each other about missing children.