Reporting a missing person
In all missing persons cases, we advise that you contact the police and file a missing persons report. Listen to the police advice given and act accordingly.
For adults to be considered 'missing', they must be absent from their residence for a minimum period of 24 hours.
We work with the police to help in cases of children missing from care.
Missing children
A child (i.e. a young person under the age of 18 years) is to be considered 'missing' if he/she is absent from his/her place of residence without authority to a degree or in circumstances where the absence causes concern for safety of the child or there is potential danger to the public.
Absences which cause concern are those where staff or carers have no indication that a child is likely to return within a short space of time or where there is immediate concern for the child's safety.
Clearly some children absent themselves for a short period and then return: often their whereabouts are known. They are not considered at risk and usually they are testing boundaries. Sometimes children stay out longer than agreed either on purpose or unwittingly.
This kind of boundary testing activity is well within the range of normal teenage behaviour and should not come within the definition of 'missing' for this protocol.