Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Children Missing from Home and Care Joint Protocol

In January 2014, the Department for Education (DfE) published the ‘Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care’. The guidance states that agencies must “work together to risk assess cases of children missing from home or care, and to analyse data for patterns that indicate particular concerns and risks”.

A protocol was jointly developed by Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Local Authorities and Staffordshire Police in accordance with that guidance and this protocol has now been refreshed and reflects current practice guidance and the duties of individuals to ensure that children who go missing are safeguarded. The purpose of the protocol is to assist partner agencies and practitioners to develop robust responses to children who go missing.