Urgent action is needed to keep track of children who go missing, says Ofsted’s Chief Inspector.
Launching his Missing Children report in February, Sir Michael Wilshaw said that little evidence is currently available on the numbers of children whose whereabouts are not known, and on characteristics and trends relating to missing children. He called upon the Government to establish a single, robust, transparent and high-quality data system to provide reliable information on incidences of children going missing.
Mr Wilshaw spoke of prevailing concerns about vulnerable children falling victim to sexual exploitation, saying that we all have a duty to ensure that children are safe and protected. “The recent shocking cases of child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, Rotherham and other parts of the country highlight just how vulnerable children can be when they go missing”, he said.
Sir Michael welcomed the recent announcement by Children’s Minister Edward Timpson that the Government would begin to pilot a new data collection on all children who go missing from their placement, not just those missing for 24 hours or more.
Ofsted’s Missing Children report can be found at:
www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/missing-children
