Missing children
What to do when a child goes missing
There is usually a good reason or trigger for why a child runs away. They may be unhappy, scared or unable to cope at home. They may already be 'at risk' or 'looked after' by Children's Services because their home life is not stable enough for a young child.
It is vital that all those involved, including parents, carers and professionals, work together to find the child, make them feel safe and deal with the issues that made them run away.
These pages outline what Children's Services does if a child aged under 18 in our care goes missing.
Contact the police
A child (aged under 18) can be reported missing to the police at any station, regardless of where they went missing. If you are worried about a child's absence, report it at once.
Are you a runaway?
You can talk to someone in confidence.
Call Missing People or Childline for free using the details on the right.
You can talk to them about anything and they will help you to sort it out. They will not tell anyone where you are if you don't want them to.
Pages in Missing children
- You are here: What to do when a child goes missing
- How the Council responds to a missing child
- Finding missing children
- After a missing child is found