Cambridgeshire Runaway and Missing From Home or Care Protocol

1. Introduction and Scope

1.1

Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Constabulary recognise that children who are missing from home or care may be at risk of suffering significant harm. We share a commitment to work together along with other safeguarding partners to:

• Prevent children from going missing
• Respond consistently and appropriately to missing episodes
• Provide good quality support to children who go missing and their families
• Take protective measures to prevent harm to children who go missing

1.2

The expectations of safeguarding partners in relation to children who go missing from home or care are set out in the Statutory guidance on children who run way or go missing from home or care (DfE, 2014). The guidance mandates local authorities to agree with local police and other partners a protocol for dealing with children who run away or go missing in their area, known as a Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) Protocol.

1.3

The senior leaders with strategic responsibility for missing children are:

• Cambridgeshire County Council: Service Director for Quality Assurance and Practice Development (Liz Clarke as at 01/02/2025).
• Cambridgeshire Constabulary: Detective Superintendent for Protecting Vulnerable People (Sherrie Nash as at 01/02/2025).

1.4

This protocol should be applied to all children for whom Cambridgeshire County Council is responsible and those living in the geographical area of Cambridgeshire (excluding Peterborough). There are additional complexities in applying the protocol consistently for some children, notably:

• Children in the care of Cambridgeshire, placed in other host local authority areas. In such cases, Children’s Social Care will seek to apply the policy as far as possible, in consultation with the Police force responsible for the area that the child is living.
• Children in the care of other responsible local authorities, living in placements in Cambridgeshire. In such cases, Cambridgeshire Constabulary will seek to apply the policy as far as possible, in consultation with the local authority responsible for that child.

1.5

Children who go missing are likely to be vulnerable to a range of risks outside the home, including trafficking, child criminal exploitation, child sexual exploitation, serious youth violence, radicalization and other contextual risks. Specific actions to address these risks are not covered in this protocol, but can be found in other local practice guidance.

2. Definitions

2.1

Missing: Cambridgeshire adopts the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) definition of a missing person, namely: Anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established will be considered missing until they are found and their wellbeing is established or otherwise confirmed. This can apply to a child missing from home or care.

2.2

Absent: Cambridgeshire does not use the category of ‘absent’ as in some other areas. Any child whose whereabouts are not known will be considered as missing.

2.3

Away from home or placement without authorisation: a child whose whereabouts is known but who is not at their home, placement or place they are expected to be and the parent/carer has concerns for the child’s safety. This child is not missing, but it may be appropriate to call Police if the parent/carer cannot remove the child from that unsafe place. Where this circumstance arises, a concern for person should be reported, rather than a missing person report.

3. Reporting a Child who is Missing

3.1

Before reporting to the Police that a child is missing, parents and carers are expected to take reasonable steps themselves to contact and locate the child, unless they consider the child to be in immediate danger. These steps should include:

• Physical checks of the residence, including the child’s bedroom and any other location the child may be hiding within the home and surrounding area.
• Attempting to contact the child directly via phone, text or other social networking platforms.
• Contacting the child’s wider family and friends.
• Contacting relevant key agencies for the child where relevant (e.g. their school).
• Visiting locations where it is known that the child spends time when away from home or care.

3.2

For children missing from home, a short guide has been developed for parents and carers to assist with appropriate and effective reporting of missing episodes. [See Appendix 1]

3.3

Where the above steps are unsuccessful in locating the child, the Police should be informed. To report a child missing, Police should be contacted by calling 101 or using this online form: Report a missing person | Cambridgeshire Constabulary, unless the child is thought to be in immediate danger, in which case Police should be called using 999. The person reporting the missing episode should be in possession of the key aspects of the child’s history and particular risks so that the response is prioritised appropriately.

3.4

In addition, for Children in Care:

When the child is reported missing to Police, the allocated social worker or emergency duty team should be notified immediately.

4. Risk Assessment and Recording

4.1

On receipt of a report of a missing child, Cambridgeshire Police will make an initial assessment of risk in the Force Control Room to determine the level of response required. In doing so, the inspector or supervisor will take account of:

• The presenting circumstances of the current incident and any reasonably foreseeable future risks.
• Any history known about the child, including any partnership information available to Police.
• National best practice guidance, including APP guidance issued by the College of Policing.

4.2

The outcome of the risk assessment will determine the level of enquiries undertaken in line with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary Missing Persons Policy and following the below framework. All missing children will be considered as either medium or high risk.

4.3

In most cases, Police Officers will be dispatched to the informant to gather further details about the missing episode. This will assist with a review of the initial risk assessment and to determine next steps for Police enquiries.

4.4

Cambridgeshire Police record all missing episodes on the COMPACT system. An automatic notification is sent to the Children’s Services Referral Centre and directly to the CCC Missing and Exploitation Team. A missing episode will be opened on the child’s record on the LIQUID LOGIC case management system. If the child is open to Children’s Social Care, a notification will be sent to the allocated worker and manager.

4.5

For Cambridgeshire Children in Care placed out of area:

A notification of the missing episode should be received from the responsible Police force, but this may not be automated or timely. The social worker or emergency duty team should notify the Missing and Exploitation Team as soon as they become aware of a missing episode.

4.6

For other local authority children in care placed in Cambridgeshire:

Children’s Social Care will forward the COMPACT notification to the child’s social worker in the responsible local authority.

5. Actions whilst the Child Remains Missing

5.1

Whilst the child remains missing, the following parallel processes will occur:

• Police will make enquiries to locate the child. Initial tasks typically include checking local Police stations and hospitals, attempting to contact the missing child by phone, visiting the child’s home address and those of family members or close friends. Further steps will be directed as necessary by a supervisor of appropriate seniority.
• CCC Missing and Exploitation Team will track any children reported missing on a daily basis. A Missing Support Worker may be allocated to provide support to the parents or carers of the missing child during this time.
• Police Child Exploitation Hub track any children currently missing with exploitation concerns and discuss with partners including the CCC Missing and Exploitation Team during the Daily CE Triage Meeting.

5.2

A Strategy Discussion will be arranged by Children’s Social Care if a child remains missing for an extended period and will be chaired by the responsible team manager. The trigger points for Strategy Discussions are as follows:

• Child in Care or subject to a Child Protection Plan remains missing after 24 hours. The meeting should take place within 48 hours of the child going missing.
• Child in Need or open for Child and Family Assessment remains missing after 48 hours. The meeting should take place within 72 hours of the child going missing.
• Child not open to Social Care when missing episode begins remains missing after 48 hours. The Missing and Exploitation Team will request that MASH progress the referral for urgent action to either the Assessment or Adolescent Teams. The meeting should take place within 72 hours of the child going missing.

5.3

The Strategy Discussion will cover the following points:

• Details of the current missing episode
• Progress of enquiries made by Police
• Wider context including the child’s history
• A review of the risk level for the missing episode
• Agreement of actions for all agencies to take to locate the child
• Confirmation of communication channels between agencies during the missing episode
• Releasing information to the media
• Agreement of actions for when the child is found
• Threshold discussion

A guide has been developed to support consistency in Strategy Discussions for missing children: Strategy Discussion Checklist – Child Remains Missing.docx [APPENDIX 2]

5.4

If any child has been missing for 48 hours, the relevant CCC Head of Service should be notified using the ‘Need to Know’ process.

5.5

In all cases, if a child remains missing, subsequent strategy discussions should be held at intervals of approximately 72 hours until the child is found. The second strategy discussion should be chaired by a Service Manager. The third and any subsequent meetings by a Head of Service.

5.6

For other local authority children in care placed in Cambridgeshire:

The Strategy Discussion will be arranged by the responsible local authority.

5.7

In some cases, it may be necessary to publicise the missing episode via mainstream or social media. This should only be done in response to serious concerns for a child’s safety and where it does not appear risk to the child will be increased as a result. The decision to publicise will normally be made collaboratively by Police and Children’s Social Care, but for urgent operational reasons an appropriately senior Police supervisor may act without detailed consultation.

6. Actions when the Child is Found

6.1

The attitude of professionals, such as police officers and social workers, towards a child who has been missing can have a big impact on how they will engage with

subsequent investigations and protection planning. However “streetwise” they may appear, children who have been missing may be extremely vulnerable to multiple risks. A supportive approach, actively listening and responding to a child’s needs, will have a greater chance of preventing the child from going missing again and safeguarding them against other risks.

6.2

If a child is found by Cambridgeshire Police, the Police officers and their supervisors will determine the appropriate immediate steps necessary to safeguard the child. In most cases the child will be able to safely return to their home or care placement. If the child is sought by Police for criminal matters or for breach of court bail conditions, the child may be arrested. If the child is at immediate risk of suffering significant harm, the Police may use their powers under S46(1) of the Children Act 1989 to remove a child into Police Protection. If the child does not want to leave the location where they are found and they are not at immediate risk, the child may be left there. Any such decision should take place in consultation with the child’s parents and/or Children’s Social Care if possible, and will take into account the immediate circumstances as well as the wider context for that child.

6.3

For Children in Care:

When a child subject to an interim or full care order remains in a location that Children’s Social Care do not consider suitable, but they are not in immediate danger, an application can be made for a Recovery Order under S50 of the Children Act 1989.

6.4

Arrangements to return the child home should be made collaboratively between the Police, the child’s parent or carer and Children’s Social Care. Cambridgeshire Constabulary will not provide transport unless the officers involved deem there is a safeguarding need, or this will be the speediest way to end Police involvement in the incident. Consideration must be given to safely returning the child and avoiding another missing episode on the journey home.

6.5

If a child returns themselves or is located first by another professional, the Police should be notified as soon as possible.

6.6

Cambridgeshire Police will visit the child as soon as practicable after they are found and within 24 hours, to conduct a prevention (‘WIRI’) interview. The objectives of this visit are:

• To determine the reasons why the child or young person went missing and in particular, if they have been subject to violence, exploitation, abuse or bullying
• To establish if they have been the victim of, or committed, any crime whilst missing
• To discover where and by whom they have been harboured and if any steps can be taken to prevent this in the future such as issuing a Child Abduction Warning Notice
• To obtain information which may lead to their early location should they disappear again
• To put in place any support and preventative measures to avoid such a recurrence
• To establish which school or education setting they attend
• To inform the child or young person and their parents and carers that the relevant local authority has been notified of the missing episode and they will be contacted by the local authority to offer a Return Home Interview.

6.7

Cambridgeshire Police will close the missing episode on the COMPACT system. An automatic notification is sent to the Children’s Services Referral Centre and directly to the CCC Missing and Exploitation Team. The missing episode will be closed on the child’s record on the LIQUID LOGIC case management system. If the child is open to Children’s Social Care, a notification sent to the allocated worker and manager. A Return Home Interview will be triggered.

6.8

For Cambridgeshire Children in Care placed out of area:

A found notification should be received from the responsible Police force, but this may not be automated or timely. The social worker or emergency duty team should notify the Missing and Exploitation Team as soon as they become aware that a child has been found.

6.9

Police Child Exploitation Hub track any children recently found with exploitation concerns and discuss with partners including the CCC Missing and Exploitation Team during the Daily CE Triage Meeting.

6.10

If the information gathered by Police when the child is found indicates that the child has suffered significant harm during the missing episode, a Strategy Discussion should be convened by the responsible children’s social care team.

6.11

The CCC Missing and Exploitation Team will allocate a Missing Support Worker who will offer a Return Home Interview (RHI) to the child who has returned (unless in exceptional circumstances) and aim to complete this within 72 hours of the child being found.

6.12

The interview and actions that follow from it should:

• Identify and deal with any harm the child has suffered – including harm that might not have already been disclosed as part of the ‘safe and well check’ – either before they ran away or whilst missing;
• Understand and try to address the reasons why the child ran away;
• Help the child feel safe and understand that they have options to prevent repeat instances of them running away;
• Provide them with information on how to stay safe if they choose to run away again, including helpline numbers.

6.13

Where children refuse to engage with the interviewer, parents and/or carers should be offered the opportunity to provide any relevant information and intelligence they may be aware of. This should help to prevent further instances of the child running away and identify early the support needed for them.

6.14

The RHI will be recorded on the child’s record in the LIQUID LOGIC case management system. The Missing Support Worker will make recommendations aimed at preventing future missing episodes, which will be reviewed by the responsible team manager (if the child is already open to Children’s Social Care) or by the Missing and Exploitation Team Manager (if not open). The record of the RHI will be shared with the Police, unless the child does not consent and there is no reason to over-ride this for safeguarding purposes.

7. Children who go Missing Repeatedly

7.1

Repeatedly going missing should not be viewed as a normal pattern of behaviour and may indicate the child is suffering harm. The above processes should apply on each occasion a child goes missing.

7.2

If a child is reported missing 3 times within a 90 day period, a Strategy Discussion will be arranged by the responsible Children’s Social Care team. If the child is not already open to Social Care, the Missing and Exploitation Team will request that MASH progress the referral for urgent action to either the Assessment or Adolescent Teams. The Strategy Discussion should be held within 5 days, or sooner if there are indications of immediate risk.

7.3

The Strategy Discussion will cover the following points:

• Context for missing episodes
• Risk management
• Prevention of future missing episodes
• Threshold discussion

A guide has been developed to support consistency in Strategy Discussions for missing children: Strategy Discussion Checklist – Child Frequently Missing.docx

[APPENDIX 2]

7.4

Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Children’s Social Care will work together with other safeguarding partners with the aim of preventing or reducing the number and frequency of missing episodes, particularly for children who go missing regularly. The following steps should be considered:

7.5

Safety Plan: This should be created collaboratively with the child and their parent or carer and should cover what steps can be taken to prevent future missing episodes. Clear expectations should be set for the child (e.g. curfew time and the consequences of not returning) and for the parent or carer (e.g. proactive steps to encourage the child not to go missing).

7.6

Trigger/Response Plan for Missing Episodes: This is intended to provide Police Officers responding to a missing episode with fast-track actions and safeguarding information to provide an effective tactical response. This is a Police-led document, but should be developed in partnership with Children’s Social Care to ensure that key information is available when needed. The Trigger/Response Plan should include any known risks or concerns, any information about where the child is likely to be, details of key associates, guidance about how to interact effectively with the child (for example, if they have additional needs) and instructions about what should happen when the child is found. [SEE APPENDIX 4]

7.7

Risk Outside the Home (ROTH) Assessment: This should be completed by the child’s social worker and developed in partnership with other agencies, to bring together concerns about the risks that the child is experiencing outside the home. Missing episodes are often a key indicator that a child is a victim of exploitation or other harmful activity and this assessment will consider the missing episodes alongside other indicators of such harm. The child will be rated as emerging, moderate or significant risk and a response developed accordingly.

7.8

Child Abduction Warning Notices (CAWNs): CAWNs can be issued where Police are concerned that a missing child is being harboured by an adult and this may result in offences being committed against the child. The issuing of a CAWN is intended to be disruptive. It holds no legal force, but informs a person that should they continue to behave in such a matter they may be committing an offence. A CAWN may be issued if the child is under 16 with parental consent, or if under 18 and the child is in local authority care.

7.9

National Referral Mechanism (NRM): Where there are concerns that a child is a victim of modern-day slavery or has been trafficked, whether into or within the UK, a notification should be sent to the single competent authority via the National Referral Mechanism. Please refer to the national and local NRM procedures for further information.

7.10

In addition, for Children in Care:

Philomena Protocol: This is a scheme intended to ensure effective information sharing for children in care who go missing frequently. When a child arrives at a placement and there are concerns that the child may go missing, the carers should complete part 1 of the Philomena Protocol Form, which provides basic details about the child. When the child is reported missing, the carers should complete part 2, which provides details of the current missing episode, and have this available to share with Police Officers on attendance. [APPENDIX 3]

8. Other Considerations

8.1

Care Leavers: Young adults who have recently reached the age of 18 will continue to experience very similar vulnerabilities and challenges to those faced during their childhood. This applies in particular to Care Leavers. Whilst this policy is focused on children, Leaving Care Teams should undertake appropriate safety planning for Care Leavers who have been frequently missing. When reported missing, all Care Leavers will be treated as either medium or high risk in the Police risk assessment since they are considered vulnerable adults.

8.2

Children ‘Subject to Restriction’: This applies to foreign nationals who have:

• Proceeded through immigration control without obtaining leave to enter; or
• Left the border control area Border Force accommodation without permission; or
• Been granted temporary admission; or
• Been granted temporary release or bail; or
• Released on a restriction order; or
• Served with a ‘notice of liability to deport’ or is the dependent of a foreign national offender whose status in the UK is under consideration by criminal casework – these dependents could be British Citizens or have extant leave.

A missing person’s referral will be made by Home Office staff to the Police, the UK Missing Person Bureau and Social Care in a number of circumstances including:

• When a child ‘subject to restriction’ is identified as having run away from their parents;
• Where they are in care and have gone missing from their placement;
• Where they are being hidden by their parents and where there is concern for the child’s safety because they are being hidden by, or have gone missing with, their family.

8.3

Children who go missing when they are expected to be at school: School attendance policies will cover in detail actions to be taken when a child does not attend school as planned. It is expected that the school will seek to make contact with parents/carers to confirm the reason for absence. If the child has left home and not arrived at school, parents should be directed to undertake the actions outlined in section 3. ‘Children missing from education’ is a specific term that refers to children who are not registered on a school roll or not attending an alternate education provision. There is separate statutory and local guidance relating to this group.

STEP 1

PARENT/CARER will confirm with CHILD when they are expected to be home, before they leave the house.

STEP 2

If CHILD does not return home by the agreed time, PARENT/CARER will begin checks by contacting friends and associates.

PARENT/CARER will visit any address they believe their child may be at.

If PARENT/CARER confirms where CHILD is, CHILD is not missing.

If CHILD tells PARENT/CARER they are somewhere, but PARENT/CARER checks and they’re not really there, then they are missing.

If at any time, PARENT/CARER becomes aware that CHILD is in a dangerous situation, they will call 999.

STEP 3

If CHILD is not located and does not return within 30 minutes of their curfew, PARENT/CARER will call the Police on 101 and report missing from home. PARENT/CARER will tell police that CHILD may be at risk of child exploitation if relevant.

When they call the police, PARENT/CARER will tell them:

• About the circumstances of the current missing episode.
• If the CHILD is a victim in ongoing child exploitation/other investigations and/or at risk of exploitation
• If the CHILD is open to Children’s Social Care and is a Child in Care / on a Child Protection Plan / on a Child In Need Plan.

Police will determine level of risk respond appropriately.

If CHILD returns home before he is found by police, PARENT/CARER will call 101 again to inform police he has returned.