(Last reviewed 18/02/2025)
Relevant Standards, Legislation & Guidance
Standards & Regulations
Fostering Services National Minimum Standards (England) 2011:
• Standard 4 – Safeguarding Children
• Standard 5 – Children Missing from Care
• Standard 6 – Promoting Good Health and Well-being
• Standard 20 – Learning and Development of Foster Carers
Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care:
• Standard 2 – Understand Your Role as a Foster Carer
• Standard 3 – Understand Health and Safety and Healthy Care
• Standard 4 – Know How to Communicate Effectively
• Standard 6 – Keep Children and Young People Safe from Harm
• Standard 7 – Develop Yourself
Children Act 1989 & 2004:
• Sets out the legal framework for protecting children.
• Places a duty on agencies to safeguard children and promote their well-being.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018:
• Explains how organisations and agencies must work together to keep children safe and support their welfare.
• Defines the statutory responsibilities of local authorities, health services, police, schools and other bodies.
• Re-emphasises that a child’s welfare is always the first priority in line with the Children Act principles.
• Details Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements and reminds everyone that safeguarding is a shared duty.
• Aims to strengthen coordinated practice, accountability and learning so safeguarding keeps improving.
Sexual Offences Act 2003:
• Sets out the different sexual offences against children, including grooming and exploitation.
• Introduces protections such as Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs).
• In 2022, the Act was updated as follows:
• Arranging or facilitating a child sex offence, even if no sexual act happens or no child is present. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment if planning the rape of a child under 12.
• Causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, even if the act does not occur or no child is present. The maximum sentence is 14 years’ imprisonment.
• Sexual communication with a child. Offenders now face up to two years in prison for sharing images, causing psychological harm, abusing a position of trust, or using threats or bribes.
Modern Slavery Act 2015:
• Addresses human trafficking and exploitation, including child sexual exploitation.
• Introduces tough penalties for offenders and a framework of support for victims.
Policy Statement
This policy should be read alongside the agency’s Missing from Care Policy and Safeguarding Policy.
Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It happens when an individual or group misuses a power imbalance to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the child needs or wants and/or (b) for the perpetrator’s financial gain or enhanced status. A child can still be exploited even when the sexual activity looks consensual. Exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also happen online. Please see Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 for further guidance.
This advice is non-statutory and is provided to help practitioners and foster carers recognise child sexual exploitation and respond effectively.
Child sexual exploitation can take many forms – from a relationship that seems ‘consensual’, where sex is exchanged for attention, affection, accommodation or gifts, to organised crime and child trafficking. Abusive behaviours can include coercion, intimidation or enticement, peer pressure to have sex, sexual bullying (including cyberbullying) and grooming. Technology increasingly plays a role in abuse through social networks, other internet sites and mobile phones. ‘Sextortion’ is an online form of blackmail where someone threatens to share sexual images, videos or information about a child for money or to make the child do something they do not want to do.
The core issue in child sexual exploitation is the power imbalance within the ‘relationship’. The perpetrator always holds more power, and the child’s dependence grows as the exploitation continues.
Many children and young people are groomed into exploitative relationships, though there are other routes. Some trade sex for items such as drugs, alcohol, money or gifts. Others do so for accommodation or money because of homelessness or poverty. Some are bullied or threatened by peers or gangs, who then use that threat to control them.
Children and young people may have experienced sexual exploitation before coming into care, and others may be targeted while in placement because of their vulnerability. It is therefore essential to create an environment that informs children and young people about exploitation and encourages them to share any worries they have.
Indicators of Possible Sexual Exploitation
Supervising social workers and foster carers need to be aware of the key indicators of child sexual exploitation. They include:
Health
• Physical signs (e.g. bruising that may suggest physical or sexual assault);
• Persistent tiredness;
• Recurrent or multiple sexually transmitted infections;
• Pregnancy and/or seeking an abortion;
• Signs of drug, alcohol or other substance use;
• Sexual behaviour that may place the child at risk.
Education
• Frequent absence from school or a marked change in school performance.
Emotional and Behavioural Issues
• Sudden or intense mood changes or use of strong language;
• Involvement in low-level offences such as shoplifting or stealing;
• Increased secrecy;
• Getting into or out of vehicles driven by adults the child does not appear to know;
• Reports of being seen in places associated with sexual exploitation, such as certain public toilets or adult venues (pubs and clubs).
Identity
• Lower self-esteem, self-harm (e.g. cutting, overdosing, disordered eating) or engaging in frequent sexual activity.
Relationships
• Heightened conflict in relationships with staff, family members and significant others;
• Physical aggression towards others;
• Placement experiencing strain or breakdown;
• Reliable reports (e.g. from family, friends or other professionals) suggesting likely involvement in sexual exploitation;
• Withdrawal from usual age-appropriate activities;
• Spending time with other young people who are known to be sexually exploited;
• Known to be sexually active;
• Sexual relationship with a significantly older person, or with a younger person who may be abusive;
• Unexplained relationships with older adults;
• Possible unsafe use of the Internet and forming online relationships, particularly with adults;
• Phone calls, text messages or letters from unknown adults;
• Adults or older young people waiting outside the home;
• Regularly going missing, staying out overnight or returning late without a clear explanation;
• Returning after being missing and appearing well cared for even though no safe base is known;
• Being away for extended periods without a safe base;
• Going missing and being found in areas where they have no known connections.
Please note: Although perpetrators are often thought to be older men, younger men and women can also be involved, and staff should stay alert to this.
Social Presentation
• Sudden change in appearance;
• Leaving the foster home in clothing that is unusual for them (for example, not age-appropriate or borrowed from older peers).
Family and Environmental Factors
• History of physical, sexual or emotional abuse; neglect; domestic abuse; or significant challenges faced by parents or caregivers.
Housing
• History of street homelessness;
• Possession of keys to unknown premises.
Income
• Having large sums of money without a clear source;
• Obtaining expensive clothes, mobile phones or other items without a clear source;
• Describing social activities without explaining how they were funded.
This list is not exhaustive.
Many children and young people experiencing sexual exploitation may not view themselves as victims. Conversations about your concerns should therefore be approached with empathy and sensitivity. If you believe a child or young person is experiencing, or at risk of, sexual exploitation, share your concerns with your Supervising Social Worker and the child’s social worker, or with the out-of-hours social work team. You may also need to contact the local police if a crime may have been committed.
When assessing whether a child or young person is experiencing exploitation or at risk, carefully consider consent. Remember that:
• A child under 13 cannot legally agree to sex or any other sexual touching (this is statutory rape);
• Any sexual activity with a child under 16 is an offence;
• It is an offence for someone in a position of trust or authority to have a sexual relationship with a 16- or 17-year-old in their care;
• Even when sexual activity with a 16- or 17-year-old is not an offence, it can still cause harm or place the young person at risk of harm;
• Non-consensual sex is rape regardless of the victim’s age; and
• A person cannot give genuine consent if they are incapacitated through drink or drugs, or if they—or their family—have been threatened or harmed; offences may therefore have been committed;
• Child sexual exploitation is a potential child protection issue for every child under 18, not just specific age groups.
Record any concerns and seek guidance from your Supervising Social Worker as soon as possible.
Absent without Authorisation, Missing from care and the link with CSE
Missing incidents were recorded for 13,010 children who are looked after (11%) in 2024, totalling 83,920 incidents. This is an average of 6.5 missing incidents for every child who went missing. Most incidents (90%) lasted two days or less.
Eighteen per cent of missing incidents that year were from foster placements. Missing means a looked after child is not at their placement or the place they are expected to be, and no one knows where they are.
Away-without-authorisation incidents (Unauthorised Absences) were reported for 2% of children who are looked after (2,720 children). Away from placement without authorisation means a looked after child’s whereabouts is known, but they are not at their placement or the place they are expected to be, and the carer has concerns or the incident has been reported to the local authority or the police. https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/
A significant number of children and young people who are being sexually exploited may go missing from care or education—some do so repeatedly. When a child goes missing, foster carers act proactively to maintain a secure, welcoming home that helps reduce the likelihood of further missing episodes.
Children and Young People who are absent without authorisation
Statutory Guidance on Children Who Run Away or Go Missing from Home or Care (January 2014) provides the following definition:
• Absent from Placement Without Authorisation: a looked after child whose whereabouts are known but who is not at their placement as agreed; their whereabouts are known and they are not at immediate risk; or they are at the place they are expected to be and the carer has concerns, or the incident has been reported to the local authority or the police.
Absent-without-authorisation events are often called Unauthorised Absences.
When a child is away without your permission but you know where they are, you should respond differently than when their whereabouts is unknown.
Categories of unauthorised absence must be agreed with the placing local authority—usually the child or young person’s social worker—at the start of the placement as part of the placement plan.
Young people may go out with friends and fail to return home at the expected time. They might keep you updated by text message, or turn off their phone because they do not want to talk. They could be testing boundaries, delayed unexpectedly (for example, by a school detention or a sporting activity), or simply have missed the bus or taken their time on the way home.
Actions for Foster carers when Children and Young People are absent without authorisation
• In every situation where a young person is absent without permission, the foster carer must take all reasonable steps to contact the young person, understand the reason for their absence, ensure their safety and resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible.
• Inform your Supervising Social Worker (SSW) and the agency’s out-of-hours service, but you are no longer expected to call the local police at this stage.
• Police officers will not attend when children or young people are classed as absent. The foster carer remains responsible for efforts to locate the child or young person, while the police monitor the situation and reclassify it as missing if circumstances change and risk increases.
• Once the young person has returned to placement, foster carers must complete an incident report for every unauthorised absence within 24 hours of the child or young person’s return.
• The incident report must clearly record the length of the unauthorised absence, a timeline of all communication with the young person, and details of how and when they came back. The young person’s explanation for the absence must also be included.
• Send the incident report to the SSW as soon as possible. The foster carer must also record the incident in weekly logs to support the identification of any patterns.
Actions for Foster Carers when children and young people are absent without authorisation and additional risk factors
All unauthorised absences must be closely monitored because the child or young person might later be classed as ‘missing’.
You may still need to inform the police if the child or young person is in a known location that carries identified risks. Discuss this with your Supervising Social Worker (SSW) and the child or young person’s social worker from the placing authority if the situation arises.
When police involvement is required, the following must happen:
Ø Foster carers inform the SSW, the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) and the police. The SSW must then notify the Registered Manager.
Ø Complete an incident report and send it to the Registered Manager and the local-authority social worker (LA SW). Include a clear timeline of what the SSW and carers have done to locate the young person and/or contact the local authority.
Ø Send the Grab Pack to carers to complete and return.
Ø The SSW must ensure everyone is told when the young person returns and record this on the files.
Ø Every unauthorised absence must be reported to a manager, recorded and filed.
Children and Young People who are Missing from Placement
Statutory Guidance on Children Who Run Away or Go Missing from Home or Care (January 2014) provides these definitions:
• Missing Child: A young person reported as missing to the police by their family or carers.
• Missing from Care: A child in care who is not at their placement or expected location (e.g. school) and whose whereabouts are unknown.
• Young Runaway: A child or young person under 18 who has left their home or placement, or feels they have been forced or lured to leave.
Police decide whether someone is ‘Missing’ or ‘Absent’ through an ongoing risk assessment. They pass reports of missing children or young people to the relevant local authority, and the social worker must follow up.
Before and during the placement, the Referral Response Team and the child’s social worker should tell you about any previous missing episodes or concerns that the child may go missing.
If a young person is assessed as being at risk of going missing, the Referral Response Team may advise carers to complete or refresh training on Missing from Care and Child Sexual Exploitation. See the Positive Aspirations Training and Development Policy and the section below on Training for Carers when Children and Young People are at risk of going Missing and of CSE.
The child or young person’s Initial Placement Agreement and Placement Plan must address any likely risk of them going missing. The Placement Plan should include steps to reduce or prevent absence and details that would help locate the child if they go missing.
A Grab Pack should be completed as early as possible—ideally before placement or during planning. This collaborative online document is filled in by the foster carer, LA SW, SSW and, where appropriate, the young person. It is stored securely at the office and with the foster carers so it can be shared with the police if needed. If information is missing, speak to your SSW, who will follow up with the local authority.
Your care should minimise the risk of the child going missing; however, depending on their age and understanding, the child should also learn to take some responsibility for their own safety.
Discuss with the child or young person the risks of running away and signpost them to other trusted sources of help. The level of risk they face when missing varies with their age, understanding and awareness.
Open communication is the best way to understand and address why a young person might go missing—reasons can include peer pressure, family conflict or other factors. Some young people are not used to adults showing concern for their whereabouts and may not realise you are trying to keep them safe.
If a young person has gone missing previously, watch for signs or patterns that often occur beforehand; recognising these patterns can help you prevent them leaving. Your relationship and positive persuasion are your most powerful tools; ultimately, the best outcome is that the child wants to return.
The following checklist** helps assess the level of risk and decide what action to take:
- Is this behaviour very unusual for them?
- Have they disappeared before?
- Do you expect them back at a certain time?
- Who are they spending time with?
- Have you recently had a disagreement with the child?
- Is the child at risk of harm or crime?
- Could the child harm themselves or others?
- Is the child at risk of attempting suicide?
- Does the child have medical needs that require attention?
- Is there a particular concern about their safety?
- Do you know where the child is?
- Do you believe they are involved in criminal activity?
- What did they say they were going to do when you last saw them?
- What steps have you already taken to find the child?
- Is there any other important information you know?
Actions for Foster Carers when children and young people are missing from placement
If a child is missing, their location is unknown, and they are not found within a reasonable timeframe, foster carers must:
Ø Call the child’s social worker or duty worker, or—if it is out of hours—the LA’s out-of-hours team. Phone your SSW as soon as possible. If you cannot reach your SSW, phone their line manager, and if they are unavailable, call the agency’s out-of-hours number.
Ø Do everything possible to locate the child, including working with the police when needed.
Ø Provide a description of the child, including what they were wearing, an up-to-date photo, their legal status and any other helpful details. Share the young person’s Grab Pack with the police.
Ø If a Grab Pack is not yet complete, send one to the carers and LA SW to finish as soon as possible so it can be shared with the police.
Ø Ensure the incident form contains a clear timeline of every action taken by the SSW and carers to locate the young person, including all attempts to contact them.
Ø Record a clear timeline of all contact with the LA, the police and anyone else involved.
Ø Refer to checklist items 1–15** and include any that apply.
Ø Make sure everyone is told as soon as the young person returns and note this on the files.
Ø Record how the young person returned and, if shared, their reasons for staying away.
After a Missing Episode
Following a missing episode, the foster carer, Supervising Social Worker (SSW), Local Authority Social Worker (LASW) and, whenever possible and appropriate, the young person should meet to agree actions that could help stop another episode from occurring.
If the LASW does not take part in these discussions, the agreed information must be shared with the responsible authority and, where appropriate, the child’s parents.
The child’s social worker should arrange a Missing from Care meeting to explore why the child or young person went missing and to identify ways to prevent a repeat.
Return Home Interviews must take place, and the SSW must ensure the placing authority carries them out. These interviews should happen within 24 hours of the child’s return.
If the local authority does not carry out the interview, the SSW must send a request to the local-authority social worker and record the request on the agency’s system.
In such cases, a Positive Aspirations team member who is independent of the foster family and the SSW will meet with the child.
During this conversation, the child will be asked whether they would like a private meeting with their LASW (NMS 5.9).
Training for Carers when Children and Young People Are at Risk of Going Missing and of CSE
When Training Is Identified as Part of the Matching Process
As part of the matching process, the Referral Response Team may recommend that carers complete specific training based on the needs identified in the referral.
When training is required, it will be allocated to the carer through the training app.
Carers and SSWs will receive an email listing the proposed courses and an automatic 14-day deadline for completion.
SSWs may review the suggested training after the Initial Placement Agreement (IPA) or once they know more about the child or young person and decide whether each course is essential or desirable.
Essential training keeps the 14-day deadline.
Desirable training is given a longer deadline (reviewed in supervision) or, if no longer relevant, removed from the carer’s training plan. If a course is marked desirable or removed, the SSW must record the reasons for that decision.
If essential training is not finished within 14 days, an email reminder is sent to the carer/Team Manager (TM) or Registered Manager (RM). Reminders continue every two weeks until the training is completed.
When SSWs (including IROs) Identify Essential Training
When an SSW identifies essential training for a carer, it is added to the training app with a 14-day completion deadline, triggering the same email-reminder schedule described above.
When SSWs (including IROs) Identify Desirable Training
When an SSW identifies desirable training, it is added to the training app and its completion and deadline are reviewed during monthly supervision.
