What happens when a child goes missing from care?

Children may go missing from foster care for various reasons, including a desire to reunite with family or friends. Feelings of instability or unhappiness within their current situation or a lack of trust in the system might cause a child or young person to run away.

Some children may also run away due to trauma, fear, or their emotional needs. Foster carers, social workers, and authorities need to work together to address these concerns and ensure the child's safety and well-being. Foster carer Sam has fostered three teenagers over the years and shares 'the teenagers we have fostered were all settled here, and their missing episodes didn't coincide with any arguments or disagreements we had. Instead, they were seeking friendships and excitement.'

There are lots of reasons children go missing from foster care. Most of the time, children and young people will be with their friends or birth family.

What can happen when a child goes missing

• Try contacting the child at first and do what you can to get the child to come home.  
• Contact your Supervising Social Worker to inform them – this can be done day or night as someone will always be at the end of the phone for support during missing episodes.
• The police would be contacted if the child doesn't come home.

There is a procedure to be followed when a child goes missing in foster care. This can be a lengthy process, and eventually, there will be at least one visit from the police, sometimes several, depending upon the length of time the child is missing - Foster Carer Sam.

• When a child returns home, you must notify your Supervising Social Worker, police and anyone else who has been involved in the missing episode, such as the child's Social Worker.

As foster carers, we are always there to support the child when they return home. Various strategies are implemented after the child returns, including a police visit. This visit is to find out if the child is okay and whether there is any support they would like - Foster Carer Sam.

• Often young people return and need a listening ear along with a shower, food and sleep.

In situations involving missing episodes, acting with empathy and being an active listener are key. For most vulnerable children, confrontation will cause fight-or-flight reactions. It may mean the child feels attacked, causing them to run away again - Supervising Social Worker

• As a foster carer, you can have time to express your feelings about the missing episodes that have taken place. Making sure you feel supported, listened to and heard.

Nexus Fostering is there to support you, and there is always someone to talk to by phone to offer advice. There will always be a visit from Nexus afterwards and from the child's social worker. 

Read more about Foster Carer Sam's first hand experiences by clicking here.