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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:02 pm
Time: 8:02 pm
Results for missing children (u.k.)
2 results foundAuthor: Sharp, Nicola Title: Still Hidden? Going Missing as an Indicator of Child Sexual Exploitation Summary: In 2011-12, 128 of the children and young people who contacted Missing People were identified as either experiencing or being at risk of child sexual exploitation. Analysis of the cases for which details of age and gender were known revealed that all the victims were female and the majority were aged between 13 and 17.3 This reflects what is understood nationally about the profile of sexually exploited children and young people (CEOP, 2011; Jago et al. 2011; Berelowitz et al. 2012). The experiences of exploited young people further reflect recognised methods of coercion, including being coerced by people and/or by circumstances to exchange sexual acts for accommodation, grooming and use of the internet. Exploitation was initiated by strangers, older ‘boyfriends’, relatives and networks of perpetrators. The number of children and young people affected by child sexual exploitation and receiving support from the charity is almost certainly an underestimate. As Jago et al. (2011) note, sexually exploited young people are often described as ‘hidden’. Their experiences can go unrecognised or be misunderstood, particularly in the case of older teenagers. This is because the coercive nature of exploitative relationships may hide or confuse what is really going on for practitioners and young people alike. In addition, the exploitative process may lead young people to display behaviour that masks their vulnerability. As a consequence, a key principle in responding to the exploitation of children and young people is to take a proactive approach (Pearce, 2009; Jago et al. 2011). This includes increasing recognition of the indicators of child sexual exploitation and being able to respond appropriately. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England notes this in its interim report on chid sexual exploitation in gangs and groups and urges that immediate action is taken in relation to circulating details of the warning signs to all professionals who come into contact with children and young people (Berelowitz et al. 2012). Of the 11 warning signs identified by the inquiry report, ‘missing from home or care’ is noted as representing ‘particular concern’. Details: London: Missing People, 2012. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 7, 2013 at: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/missing-people/latest-news/missing-people-launches-report-to-safeguard-vulnerable-children Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/missing-people/latest-news/missing-people-launches-report-to-safeguard-vulnerable-children Shelf Number: 127853 Keywords: Child Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationMissing Children (U.K.)Runaways |
Author: Great Britain. Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) Title: Missing Children Summary: Children represented approximately two thirds of the estimated 360,000 missing person incidents in 2009–10. Children in care are three times more likely to go missing from their home than children who are not in care. However, due to the unreliability of available data, it is likely that the true scale of the problem is not fully understood. A number of recent high-profile court cases concerning child sexual exploitation and high-profile inquiries have highlighted the vulnerability of children who go missing, and the associated risks of sexual exploitation. The government published proposals to tackle child sexual exploitation in November 2011 and announced urgent action to look at the quality of residential care for looked after children in July 2012. This report explores the effectiveness of arrangements to safeguard children and young people, including those who are looked after by the local authority, who are at risk of going missing or running away from home. Inspectors visited a sample of 10 local authority areas. The report draws on evidence from 105 cases and from the views of children and young people, carers, and professionals from the local authority and from partner agencies. The complex and varied reasons identified on a national basis why children go missing were reflected in the nature of the cases seen by inspectors. Children’s histories included inadequate parenting, past or current abuse, bullying and domestic violence. Some children who were looked after had experienced several placement moves. Children who went missing were subjected to considerable associated risk, most often from sexual exploitation, drug and alcohol abuse, and becoming the victim or perpetrator of crime. Inspectors saw evidence of some tenacious partnership working across relevant agencies to safeguard children at risk of going missing. Information was generally shared effectively when children were reported missing and there were some persistent efforts by professionals to engage children. However, some inconsistency and gaps in practice meant that professionals were not always fully attuned to the needs of children who went missing. For example, it was not often clear whether checks, usually undertaken by police officers, to ensure that children were safe and well after returning home had been undertaken. When they had been, the outcomes of the checks were often not routinely shared with carers and professionals. Similarly, more in-depth return interviews with children by an independent person to explore the reasons why they had run away and to identify any support needs were rarely evident. Updated risk management plans that identified specific actions to be taken to prevent children from running away and to keep them safe were rarely evident in the cases seen by inspectors. The lack of routine attention to learning from the experiences of children also contributed to a generally weak understanding at a senior level of the reasons why children go missing. Strategic planning of services to reduce the number of children who go missing was underdeveloped in most local authorities and was hindered further by some poor record management and unreliable data systems. There was, however, an increasing awareness of several related issues, particularly sexual exploitation, which was supported by relevant training. Nearly all of the cases tracked by inspectors displayed a sensitive and child-centred approach to protecting children who went missing. However, some evidence heard by inspectors about some professionals’ attitudes suggests there is no room for complacency. Details: Manchester, UK; Ofsted, 2013. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2013 at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/missing-children Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/missing-children Shelf Number: 128261 Keywords: At-risk YouthChild ProtectionChild Sexual ExploitationMissing Children (U.K.)Runaways |