Children Missing from Foster Care

Children and young people missing from care are often very vulnerable and are at a heightened risk of being exploited by others. The reasons for their absences are varied and complex and cannot be viewed in isolation of their childhood experiences. Each missing episode is potentially serious for the child or young person and places them at risk of significant harm. They should, therefore, be responded to within this context. The aim of all persons involved with children and young people who are missing is to locate and return the child to a safe environment. 

On the Isle of Man, there is a joint protocol between the Isle of Man Constabulary and the Manx Care, in respect of Children Missing from Home (2015). This protocol has informed this procedure in regards to the expectations on Foster Carers and the Family Placement Service when a child or young person goes missing from their foster placement. 

The Isle of Man Fostering Minimum Standards June 2007 (amended in October 2013), Standard 9.11, states, that the fostering service needs to ensure that the Foster Carer has a clear written procedure to use if a foster child goes missing from the home.

At the time of moving to the placement, the child’s Placement Agreement with Delegated Authority should include information regarding any potential risk for the child to self or others. 

It is the Foster Carers and the supervising social worker’s responsibility to update the child’s social worker in respect of any changes that may impact this plan (e.g. change of the child’s peer associations, concerns around exploitation (sexual or criminal) and/or evidence of alcohol or substance misuse). 

If there are heightened risk factors in respect of the child running away, a risk management plan will be produced by the child’s allocated social worker and provided to the Foster Carer. This plan will be subject to regular review and updated in accordance with the risk.

The child’s care plan will also take into account any risk of the child going missing and any factors which may increase the risks to the child, should they go missing.

The supervising social worker is responsible for supporting the Foster Carer when a child or young person in their care is missing.

On the return of the child to the Foster Carer’s home the supervising social worker will consider any practical support needs of the Carer, in additional to providing emotional support, advice and guidance to the carer in responding to the child’s return. 

This support should include remaining in contact with the carer and practical support to assist in the search for the child.  

A visit should be facilitated to provide a de-brief to the Foster Carer as soon as practically possible, and in a timescale which responds to the needs of the carer and placement. This should be achieved within a minimum of 5 working days.  

If a child is absent from their foster home, the Foster Carer is responsible for immediately informing the professionals that they are absent. In working hours this should be through contacting their supervising social worker, duty worker or the child’s social worker.

If the child/young person is absent out of hours, the Foster Carer must contact the out of hours social worker. 

The Foster Carer is responsible for sharing all information with the social worker in regards to the child’s last known whereabouts, who they were with, what they were last seen wearing, the time last contact was made, any possible places they may be and any specific circumstances around their disappearance. Any known associated risks for the child should be highlighted. 

It is expected that the Foster Carer will make all appropriate telephone enquiries with regards to the whereabouts of the child. This will involve trying to contact the child themselves along with their friends, associations, all other members of the fostering household and checking appropriate locations. 

They will be expected to have searched the house and any grounds to verify that the child is in fact absent. They are also to search for any important leads (e.g. mobile phones, internet activity, diaries, letters, notes explaining absence etc.) which may assist the search and to undertake any other actions agreed with the child’s Social Worker as appropriate to locate the child before a missing report is made to the Police.

Children who are absent from their foster placement can be a matter of considerable concern to their Foster Carers and there is a need to locate them and ensure they are safe. The children can be thought of as being on a continuum, with there being little cause for concern at one end, and with significant cause for concern at the other. 

Children who are a few minutes late home would not normally give rise to concerns; they may have missed the bus, or they may be exhibiting normal adolescent testing out behaviour, to establish the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, or to show their disagreement with aspects of their placement. It is not helpful to consider every momentary absence as warranting a formal Missing Person Report. However, at some point, depending upon the child, the circumstances, and the risk assessment the child’s absence will give rise to justifiable concern and require a formal Missing Person Report to the Police.

It is also important for the Foster Carer to record conversations and efforts made to locate the child/young person in the fostering logs. Please see Foster Carer Recording Policy.

In consultation with the Foster Carer, the child/supervising social worker will therefore determine which of these three categories the child’s absence fits;

1. Missing – Any child or young person whose whereabouts cannot be established and where the circumstances are out of character or the context suggests the person may be subject of crime or at risk of harm to themselves or another;
2. Absent - A person not at a place where they are expected or required to be. The `absent’ category should comprise cases in which people are not presently where they are supposed to be and there is no apparent risk. `Absent’ cases should not be ignored, and must be monitored over periods of time with consideration given to escalating to ‘missing’ if there is a change to the circumstances that has increased the level of risk;
3. Absconder – A person who is absent from the placement without permission and who is subject to an Order or requirement resulting from the criminal justice process (e.g. remands, curfews, conditions of residence, other bail conditions, Police Powers & Procedures Act 1998, detention or anti-social behaviour order), or a Secure Order made in either Civil or Criminal proceedings. A child in this category must be reported to the police without delay.

In deciding the category of absence, all staff must consider the circumstances of the child and their absence. This will include detailed consideration of:- 

• The circumstances of the absence;
• The child’s Care Plan/ risk assessment;
• The age of the child;
• he maturity of the child;
• Any physical or cognitive disability of the child;
• Any continuing or urgent need for the child to have medicines or other medical treatment;
• The legal status of the child;
• Previous behaviour and history of the child;
• Danger posed by the child to themselves or others;
• General vulnerability of the child;
• The child’s tendency to misuse drugs or substance abuse;
• Whether the child is perceived as running to, or running from, someone or something;
• Any circumstances within the placement, with carers or other residents, that may be relevant to the absence;
• The risk of offending;
• The influence of peer groups, families or friends;
• Predatory influence on the child. These may relate to the child being exploited in any way for the purposes of crime, sex or drugs;
• Any known risk of abduction;
• Environmental factors including weather, time of year, community events or tensions.

Each case must be decided on merit and a formal Missing Person Report to the Police may be actioned earlier in some circumstances than in others. Indeed, for a small number of children, it may be appropriate to immediately report them as a “Missing Person”. Normally this will have been previously agreed as part of the Care Plan/risk assessment because of the child’s vulnerability. 

N.B The fact that the child may have gone “absent” or “missing” on a number of previous occasions does NOT reduce the risk. In fact, children who repeatedly go “absent” or “missing” are often being enticed away from their placement by activities that they see as exciting or by predatory influences. Furthermore, short absences may be as risky as lengthy ones.

Foster Carers and the child’s Social Worker will be responsible for liaising with the Police, taking an active interest in the investigation and passing on all information, which may help to inform the investigation and assist in protecting the child while absent. 

Foster Carers and the child’s Social Worker should continue to make appropriate enquiries, agreed with the Police, which may assist the investigation. All information gleaned from these enquiries should be passed to the Police at the earliest opportunity. 

Once a child is reported missing to the Police, the Police will have primacy in response of the investigation to trace the child. It will be the duty of the Police to conduct all physical enquiries away from the premises from which the child is absent. The police may require access to the Foster Carer’s home as part of the investigation and this should be facilitated by the Foster Carer. 

Categories of Absence:-

• Absent.

There are a number of situations where children will be considered as “Absent”. Most commonly when children are accidently or deliberately late home to the placement or when their whereabouts are known and do not jeopardise their safety or well-being. 

If the child’s whereabouts are known or suspected, the social worker will decide whether to allow the young person to remain at that location, albeit temporarily, or to arrange for their return. If the decision is to arrange their return, and there is reason to believe that there may be welfare concerns or difficulties in achieving this, the Police will assist. Police assistance in these circumstances doesn’t mean that the child is categorised as “Missing”. 

Unless the most recent risk assessment indicates that it is necessary to do so, it is not usually expected that the first response of a Foster Carer in circumstances where a child is late home would be to report the child as missing to the Police. Before doing so, the Foster Carer should take all steps a responsible parent would take, to try to locate the child and to make a careful assessment in accordance with the most recent risk assessment. 

Another example of “Absent” could be when a child runs away from their foster placement following an incident or occurrence at the home. Before reporting the child as “Missing”, the Foster Carer should take all steps a responsible parent would take to try to locate the child and to make a careful assessment in accordance with the most recent risk assessment. In addition to this, consideration should also be given to the circumstances and causation factors that lead to the running away, insofar as they impact upon risk to the child. 

A clear judgement, based on the most recent risk assessment, will be made in each individual case, as to the length of time that elapses before a child who is “Absent” becomes categorised as “Missing”. If the child has not returned within 6 hours serious consideration must be given to reporting the child as Missing. A decision to categorise an “Absent” child as a “Missing” child will be the responsibility of the Social Worker in consultation with a Team Manager. 

It is not appropriate for any child whose whereabouts are not known and who cannot be contacted, to remain out all night, without being formally reported as “Missing”. 

• Missing.

Where the child’s location or reason for absence is unknown, where they are not contactable and/or due to the circumstances, there is cause for concern for the child or potential danger to the public, the child must be reported as “Missing”. The social worker will be responsible for informing all persons who hold parental responsibility for the child. 

Reporting a child missing involves providing detailed information to the police on the missing child. The Social Worker will inform the Police of all steps that have been taken to locate the child and what further steps, in consultation with the police, they intend to take. 

When receiving a Missing Person Report, the police will tailor their response according to the Risk Assessment and any Risk Factors identified thereon. The decision about the level of risk attributed to the case lies with the Police and will take into account the information provided. A missing child will never be categorised as “Low Risk”. 

Where a child is reported as “Missing” the police will have primary responsibility for the investigation however, it is expected that whatever the risk level, the Duty Social Worker and the Foster Carer will continue to take the steps that a responsible parent would take to locate the child, in consultation with the police. 

• Absconder.

An “Absconder” is a child who is absent from the placement without permission and who is subject to an Order or requirement resulting from the Criminal Justice Process or a Secure Order made in either Civil or Criminal proceedings. This includes a child who has been has had bail refused under the Police Powers and Procedures Act and has been “handed over to the Department for accommodating”. A child in this category must be reported to the police without delay. The Police will treat the case as both a “Missing person” enquiry and an “Absconder”. Any child within this category will always be risk assessed as High Risk.

Return of the child to the Foster Carer

If the whereabouts of the child is known or suspected, the Social Worker or Foster Carer are to arrange the return of the child. The police will provide assistance if required due to welfare concerns or challenges in the child returning. It is important that Foster Carers continue to offer warm and consistent care when a child returns, and running away should not be viewed as behaviour that needs to be punished. 

Once a child or young person has returned, the police will visit to undertake a safe and well check to that child to be assured of their welfare and to ascertain any indications that the child has suffered harm; to establish where and with whom they have been and to give them the opportunity to disclose any offending by or against them. A return interview will be conducted by the police in circumstances where there are concerns for the child’s welfare whilst they were absent, if they were absent for more than 24 hours, if they’ve been missing for on two or more occasions or frequently absent. It may be appropriate for the child’s Foster Carer to act as their support during this interview. 

If on the return of the child to the placement it is apparent that they have been the victim of a crime whilst absent or missing, or that they may be in danger or at risk from any person arising out of circumstances that have occurred whilst they were absent, the Foster Carer and/or social worker must inform the police.