Missing from Care Policy

(Last reviewed 12/01/2025)

Relevant Standards, Legislation & Guidance

Fostering Services National Minimum Standards (England) 2011:

• Standard 4 – Safeguarding Children
• Standard 5-Children Missing from Care
• Standard 6 – Promoting Good Health and wellbeing
• 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 4: Know how to communicate effectively
• Standard 6: Keep children and young people safe from harm
• Standard 7: Develop yourself

Children Act 1989 & 2004:

• Establishes the framework for child protection.
• Places a duty on authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

Statutory Guidance on Children who runaway or Go Missing from Home or Care (2015)

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018

• Outlines how organizations and agencies must work together to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
• Defines the statutory duties of local authorities, health services, police, schools, and other organizations.
• Emphasizes the importance of adhering to the Children Act principles, particularly the paramountcy of the child’s welfare.
• Outlines Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements and stresses that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
• Guidance better ensures a coordinated approach to safeguarding and child protection and promotes accountability and learning to improve safeguarding practices.

Purpose of Policy

Children running away and going missing from care and home is a key concern for Social Care.

Missing incidents were reported for 13,010 of CLA (11%) in 2024 and there were 83,920 missing incidents. This is an average (mean) of 6.5 missing incidents per child who went missing. The vast majority (90%) of missing incidents lasted for 2 days or less. 

18% of the missing incidents during the year were from foster placements.  Missing is defined as a looked after child who is not at their placement or a place they are expected to be and their whereabouts is not known.

Away without authorisation incidents were reported for 2% of CLA (2,720 children). Away from placement without authorisation is defined as a looked after child whose whereabouts is known but who is not at their placement or place they are expected to be and the Foster Carer has concerns or the incident has been notified to the local authority or the police.https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/

Recent research findings estimate that 25 per cent of children and young people, who go missing are likely to suffer significant harm. There are specific concerns about the links between children running away and the risks of sexual exploitation. Many looked after children missing from their placements are vulnerable to sexual and other exploitation, especially children in residential care.

As an Independent Fostering Service Provider, the agency is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that appropriate procedures are in place to safeguard and protect the children and young people in its care. This includes minimising the likelihood that a child or young person would be motivated to abscond. To this end the agency’s aim is to match children and young people appropriately with Foster Carers who are best able to meet their needs and provide a nurturing and secure placement.

There can be many reasons why a child or young person may not be in their expected place or return home at the proper time.  These can range from a situation where a young child wanders off or a teenager gets diverted on the way home from school to more serious incidents of involvement in risky behaviour or deliberate staying away from placement. Many of these situations will be resolved quickly as children and young people frequently get lost or held up or simply wish to test the boundaries. This could also be because the young person might not be used to people being concerned about their whereabouts and they might not understand that the Foster Carer is trying to keep them safe and look after them. However, in some circumstances, a child’s absence may signify something more serious.

If a young person has gone missing whilst in the agency’s care or before, Foster Carers should look out for signs or patters of behaviour that usually happen before they go missing. This could help the family when they talk to the child and maybe prevent them from going.

It is important that Foster Carers are aware of what measures they can take to prevent a child from leaving without permission. The use of persuasion and your relationship is the most powerful tool that you have to prevent them going and you will find that the best thing that you can achieve is for them to want to come back. Have open discussions with child/YP or Parent and supervising social worker, on having a safe word within the family or to even consider the use of a location tracker.

When a child/young person goes missing or absent without permission, the Foster Carer will need to make a judgement about the seriousness of the situation and respond appropriately. Full information about any previous incidents of ‘going missing’ will have been shared as part of the matching process and then later at the placement planning meeting and a risk assessment evaluation will have been made.

Where there is a known risk of a child or young person going missing, seeking contact with inappropriate persons or becoming involved in dangerous activities, a clear strategy will be recorded in accordance with the policies of the placing authority indicating appropriate action to be taken within specific time scales.

 All local authorities have protocols for working with the police in respect of looked after children who go missing and the agency’s staff will cooperate as necessary with these local processes.

It is important therefore to differentiate between a child/young person who is missing and an unauthorised absence from the placement.

In most cases the Foster Carer will contact their supervising social worker or the agency, using the Out of Hours service if necessary, and a shared decision will be taken about whom else to inform.

Contacts are likely to include the police, placing authority social worker (or EDT) and the child’s family members if appropriate. When a Foster Carer is in doubt about what to do, they should contact their supervising social worker, the team manager or the agency’s Out of Hours worker for advice.

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) uses the following definitions:

• 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 risk, or at the place they are expected to be and the Foster Carer has concerns or the incident has been notified to the local authority or the police.

Absent without authorisation episodes are often referred to as Unauthorised Absences.

When the child is absent without your permission but you know where they are you will need to treat the situation differently to when you don’t know where they have gone.

Categories of unauthorised absences should be agreed with the placing local authority, usually the child/young person’s social worker, at the outset as part of the placement plan.

Often young people will go out with friends and not return home by the expected time. They may keep you informed of their whereabouts by text message, or may switch off their phone as they do not want to talk to you. They may be testing boundaries, they may have been unexpectedly delayed (school detention, sporting or leisure activities for example) or quite simply, they may have missed the bus or “dawdled” on their way home.

In such circumstances, the child would not necessarily be considered at risk or missing from home.

Actions for Foster Carers when Children and Young People are absent without authorisation

• In all cases where the young person is considered to be absent without permission, the Foster Carer is expected to take all reasonable steps to communicate with the young person in order to locate them, to find out the reason for their absence, to ensure their safety and resolve the matter as promptly and safely as possible.

• In these cases, you should inform your SSW and the out of hour’s service operated by the agency, but it is no longer expected that you will call the local police in these circumstances.

• Police will not be sent to cases where children/young people are defined as being ‘absent’. Instead the onus will be on the Foster Carer to take steps to locate the child/young person, with monitoring by the police and escalation to ‘missing’ if there is a change to the circumstances that has increased the level of risk.

• Once the young person has returned to placement, Foster Carers should complete an incident report for all un-authorised absences within 24 hours of the child/young person returning to placement.

• The Incident form should include a clear account of how long the young person was missing without authorisation, a chronology of all communication with the young person and details of how and when they returned to placement. The young person’s explanation for the unauthorised absence should also be included in the form.

• The Incident Form should be sent to the SSW as soon as possible. The Foster Carer will also need to add the incident into their weekly logs and submit these as usual to help with the identification of patterns.

Actions for Foster Carers when children and young people are absent without authorisation and there are additional risk factors.

All unauthorised absences must be carefully monitored as the child/young person may subsequently become ‘missing’.

It may still be necessary to report to the police if a child/young person is at a known location and there are known risks associated with them being there. This should be discussed with the supervising social worker and the child/young person’s social worker from the placing authority if the situation arises.

When this happens, the following should take place:

• Foster Carers to inform SSW, EDT and the police. The SSW must inform the registered manager.
• Incident report to be completed and a copy to be sent to the manager and the LA SW – This should include a clear chronology as to what the SSW and Foster Carers have done to locate the young person and/or contact the LA.
• Grab Pack to be sent to Foster Carers to complete and return.
• SSW to ensure all parties are informed of when the young person returned and document that on the files.
• All unauthorised absences must be notified 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) uses the following definitions:

• Missing Child: A young runaway reported as missing to the police by his family or Foster Carers.
• Missing from Care: A Looked After Child who is not at their placement or the place they are expected to be (e.g. school) and their whereabouts are not known.
• Young Runaway: A child or young person under the age of 18 who has run away from their home or placement, or feels they have been forced or lured to leave.

The police classification of a person as ‘Missing’ or ‘Absent’ will be based on on-going risk assessment. Police will attend reports of ‘missing children/young people’ to the child/young person’s LA to alert them that they have come to the police attention and the social worker will be required to follow this up.

Prior to and when a child/young person is placed with you, the Referral Response Team and the child’s social worker should make you aware of any previous occasions when the child has gone missing or if this is something they have good reason to think they will do.

When the young person is identified as being at risk of going missing, if necessary the Referral Response team will recommend that Foster Carers complete or undertake refresher training in Missing from Care and Child Sexual Exploitation.   Please also refer to Positive Aspirations Training and Development Policy and also see below Training for Foster Carers when Children and Young People are at risk of going Missing and of CSE.

The child/young person’s Initial Placement Agreement and Placement Plan should also take account of any likely risk of the child going missing. The Placement Plan should incorporate measures to reduce or prevent the child becoming absent, and information that would help facilitate the location of the child should they go missing.

A ‘Grab Pack’ should also be completed for the child/young person as early as possible, ideally at the pre- placement or the planning stage. The ‘Grab Pack’ is a collaborative on line document completed by the Foster Carer, the LASW, the SSW and, where appropriate, the young person. The ‘Grab Pack’ is then kept securely on the base and by the Foster Carers to be shared with the police in the instance that the young person goes missing.  If any concerns with regards to any lack of information please speak to your SSW and they will chase the LA.

The care provided by the Foster Carers should minimise the risk of the child going missing, however a child/young person should be aware that they need to take some responsibility for their own safety, dependent upon their age and understanding.

Foster Carers should talk to the child/young person about the risks of running away and let them know where they can get help to talk about this other than from you. The degree of risk that they might be taking by going missing will vary dependent on things like their age understanding and awareness.

There may be a variety of reasons for the young person going missing and it is through communication that you are most likely to understand and deal with the issues that make them go. This could include peer group issues, family conflict or other reasons. On the other hand, the young person might not be used to people being concerned about their whereabouts and they might not understand that you are trying to keep them safe and look after them.

If a young person has gone missing whilst with you or before, you should look out for signs or patterns of behaviour that usually happen before they go missing. This may help you talk to them to prevent them from going.

You should be aware of what measures you can take to prevent a child from leaving without permission. The use of persuasion and your relationship is the most powerful tool that you have to prevent them going and you will find that the best thing that you can achieve is for them to want to come back.

The following checklist** should be considered to start to think about the level of risk to the child and what action should be taken:

1. Is this event significantly out of character?
2. Have they done this before?
3. Is there a time you expect them to return?
4. Who are they with?
5. Have you been in conflict with the child?
6. Is the child likely to be subjected to harm or a crime?
7. Is the child a danger to themselves or others?
8. Is the child likely to attempt suicide?
9. Does the child have any specific medical needs?
10. Is there a specific concern?
11. Do you know the child’s whereabouts?
12. Do you believe them to be involved in crime?
13. What were their intended actions when last seen?
14. What have you done to locate the child?
15. Is there any other significant information you are aware of?

Actions for Foster Carers when children and young people are missing from placement

If a child is missing and you do not know where the child is and they are not found within a reasonable time frame Foster Carers must:

• Contact the child’s social worker, duty worker or if out of hours the LA’s out of hours team. You should also inform your supervising social worker as soon as possible by phone.  If you are unable to contact your SSW then you should contact their line manager by phone. If you are unable to contact your SSW or their line manager then you should contact the agencies OOH’s number.

• Do all that they can to find the child including working with the Police where necessary.

• Foster Carers may need to give a description of the child including what they were wearing and an up to date photo, their legal status and any other information you think will help. The Young Person’s ‘Grab Pack’ should be shared with the police for this purpose.

• If a Grab Pack has not already been completed, one should be sent to the Foster Carers and LASW to complete as soon as possible so that it can be shared with the police.  

• The incident form should include a clear chronology detailing all actions undertaken by the SSW and Foster Carers to locate the young person, including all attempted contact with the with the young person.

• The incident form should include a clear chronology of all contact with the LA, the police and any other person undertaken in relation to the missing episode.

• The incident form should consider points 1-15 above** and include any of them that are relevant.

• SSW’s and Foster Carers are to ensure that all parties are informed as soon as the young person has returned and that this is documented on the files.

• Foster Carers should record the circumstances in which the young person returns and their reasons for remaining absent from the placement, if they tell you.

After a Missing Episode

Following a missing episode, the Foster Carer, SSW, LASW and young person (whenever possible/appropriate) should discuss and agree any actions that can be put in place to try and prevent a further occurrence.  If the LASW is not part of these discussions then this information should be shared with the responsible authority and where appropriate the child’s parents.

The child’s social worker should call a missing from care meeting to look at why the child/young person went missing and look at ways of preventing it from happening again.

Return Home Interviews should take place and the Supervising Social Worker must ensure that this is carried out by the placing authority. These should be held within 24 hours of the child’s return.

If the local authority fails to conduct the interview, the SSW must send a request to the local authority social worker. All requests must be recorded on the agency recording system. In such cases, a team member from Positive Aspirations who is independent of the foster family and SSW will be asked to undertake a discussion with the child. During this discussion the child will be asked if they would like a private meeting with their LASW (NMS 5.9)

Training for Foster 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 for children and young people, there may be occasions when the Referral Response team recommend that Foster Carers complete specific training based on the needs of the child and young person identified from the referral.

When specific training is identified, this will be allocated to the Foster Carer via the training app.

Foster Carers and SSWs will receive an email advising of the courses proposed and an automatic 14-day timeframe set for completion.

SSWs may review the suggested training following the IPA or upon having more knowledge of the child or young person and determine whether this is desirable or essential.

Essential training will remain in place for completion within the 14-day deadline.

Desirable training will be given an extended deadline (to be reviewed in supervision) or where considered unnecessary removed from the Foster Carers training needs. Where suggested training has been deemed only desirable or is removed the SSW will need to record the reasons for this assessment/decision.

The Foster Carer/TM or RM will be sent a follow up reminder email at the 14-day mark if the essential training has not been completed. Fortnightly reminders will be emailed until such a time that the training has been completed.    

When SSW’s (including IRO’s) identify essential training  

When a SSW identifies an essential training need for a Foster Carer this will also be added via the training app and a 14-day deadline for completion imposed. This will prompt the email reminders in line with the pattern detailed above.

When SSW’s (including IRO’s) identify desirable training

When a SSW identifies desirable training this will be added via the training app and completion and deadlines reviewed during monthly supervision.

Child Abduction

Where a child has been abducted or forcibly removed from their placement, this is a ‘crime in action’ and should be reported to the police immediately, followed by the placing Local Authority. All such incidents must be appropriately recorded on the Notifications form and sent to Ofsted.

Actual or suspected involvement in child sexual exploitation or other forms of exploitation

The vulnerability of looked after children may also give rise to concerns that they may be involved or have suspected involvement in sexual exploitation or be the subject of other forms of criminal exploitation. Such concerns are serious and should be shared immediately with the supervising social worker in order that measures to protect the child/young person may be put in place.

Pulled or Pushed?

The reasons why children/young people go missing from foster care are varied and complex and should be viewed in the context of their present circumstances and past experiences. Their absence from the foster placement can often place them, and sometimes others, at risk. Thus, it is important, not only that the absence itself is given due weight, but that the child/young person receives a consistent and sensitive response on his / her return to placement.

Children / young people leave their placement either because they feel pushed away, or because they are pulled away in a certain direction. Push factors include mental health problems (a disproportionate number of young people who run away have mental health problems). They also include bullying (children who are being severely bullied are more likely to run away from school and home or care).

There may also be factors in the placement where children/young people are, or feel, at risk or threat of abuse and these concerns must be taken seriously.

Pull factors include, running away to be near friends or family, especially when a young person is in care and there are problems in contact arrangements with family and friends. The risks associated with contact need to be weighed against the danger of a young person persistently leaving the placement without authorisation and putting themselves at risk. These issues must be explored at the professional’s meetings.

Pull factors include grooming for potential sexual exploitation, child trafficking or exploitation linked to criminal activity. Young people may run away or go missing following grooming by adults who will seek to exploit them and every effort must be made to protect them.

Whatever the reason, running away is usually a sign that a crisis point has been reached. It is vital therefore, that social workers and foster families do everything they can to engage children and young people and inform them about the risks of running away and the services available to support them to resolve issues before they decide to run.

If a Foster Carer becomes aware that a child or young person is intending to leave the placement without authorisation they should not attempt to physically restrain them, unless it is necessary to prevent injury to the child or others. Any measure of restraint required in such circumstances must be reasonable and not excessive. Foster Carers should use de-escalation techniques and dialogue with the child. The level of risk a child may face will, to some extent, depend upon their age, ability (physical and intellectual), their emotional state and the circumstances under which they have gone missing. Thus a 14 year old girl with an emotional age of 10 who goes missing in a large town or inner city area that she does not know would be highly vulnerable and should be reported immediately to the police whilst a ‘streetwise’ 14 year old with a pattern of staying out late who does not return on time from a shopping trip with friends in an area she knows well may be considered to be at less risk in the short term. Likewise, an older child with a learning disability would be considered vulnerable whereas a younger child who is highly independent and well able to protect themselves might be considered less so.

In some circumstances it may be advisable for Foster Carers to establish a relationship with their local police station and obtain their advice on how best to help them to help you. They will probably be very familiar with the concerns about looked after children, and early discussion with them could help in circumstances where a child frequently absconds.