Children missing from home or care

Share this factsheet with staff to make them aware of:

• Why they need to be alert to the possibility of children going missing
• What signs to look out for that a child might go missing
• What to do if they suspect a child has gone missing

You could either use it as a basis for talking about the issue at a staff meeting, or send it round for staff to read themselves. Before you share it, make sure to edit the 'What to do' section to add your school's procedures for following up on absences.

Want to make it more interactive? Use these questions to start a discussion:

• What opportunities do our pupils have to talk to us about problems they are experiencing at home?
• How long should we search for a pupil who we think has gone missing?
• Can you think of pupils who you would consider to be at risk based on the factors shared in this factsheet?
• How would we find out that an adult close to a pupil has gone missing?
• What might prevent our swift reporting of a child’s absence? Is there anything we should do to improve our systems or to change our attitudes in relation to these hindrances?
• How do we minimise the risk of pupils being abducted?
• Which other areas of safeguarding does this topic overlap with?