Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 December 2018 (HL12231), whether the updated Government's Missing Children and Adults Strategy will include specific measures to prevent child victims of trafficking going missing shortly after referral to the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Government is committed to protecting all people who go missing, but recognises that the needs of children, particularly vulnerable children such as trafficked children, are different to those of adults and we have an even greater responsibility to protect them.
Home Office is working with partners to address the issues faced by all children who go missing through its refreshed Missing Children and Adults Strategy which will be published in the coming months. The refreshed Strategy will include cross-Government commitments aimed to prevent victims of child trafficking from going missing by ensuring they are given appropriate information and support. This includes work to encourage police forces to adopt the Operation Innerste process which aims to build trust between a child and the UK authorities, reducing the likelihood of them running away or going missing after a referral to the National Referral Mechanism.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 December 2018 (HL12231), when they plan to publish the updated version of the Government's Missing Children and Adults Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Government is committed to protecting all people who go missing, but recognises that the needs of children, particularly vulnerable children such as trafficked children, are different to those of adults and we have an even greater responsibility to protect them.
Home Office is working with partners to address the issues faced by all children who go missing through its refreshed Missing Children and Adults Strategy which will be published in the coming months. The refreshed Strategy will include cross-Government commitments aimed to prevent victims of child trafficking from going missing by ensuring they are given appropriate information and support. This includes work to encourage police forces to adopt the Operation Innerste process which aims to build trust between a child and the UK authorities, reducing the likelihood of them running away or going missing after a referral to the National Referral Mechanism.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between cuts to children's support services and child victims of trafficking going missing shortly after referral to the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government takes the issue of any child going missing extremely seriously.
Funding for children’s services is an un-ring fenced part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, it is for local authorities to spend it in the way they think best to meet local needs and their statutory duties. Over the 5 year period to 2019-20, councils have access, through the Local Government Finance Settlement, to over £200 billion to deliver local services, including children’s services. Core spending power has increased from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion in 2019-20. In addition to this, local authorities estimate that in 2019-20 the sector will keep around £2.5 billion in business rates growth. Local authorities have control over the way in which this money is used, and as such this growth can be directed to support existing services or to invest in further growth.
In the Autumn Budget, the government announced a further £410 million in 2019-20 for local authorities to invest in adult and children’s social care services. It also announced £84 million of extra funding, over the next 5 years, to support local authorities to invest in initiatives that improve social work practice and decision making. The government will continue to work closely with the sector to consider long-term children’s services funding as part of the upcoming Spending Review.
In order to address the particular vulnerability of these children, the government updated statutory guidance for local authorities on the ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’, attached, in November 2017. This includes guidance on preventing children going missing. Department for Education data collection guidance has been revised to clarify to local authorities that all cases of looked after children who go missing – many of whom might be at heightened risk of being trafficked - are reported, including all children who have gone missing within the first 24 hours of coming to the attention of the local authority.
In addition, the government has awarded £2.2 million from the Child Trafficking Protection Fund to seven organisations to protect vulnerable children in the UK and overseas who are at risk of trafficking. The projects cover a range of areas including tailored support for trafficking victims from various cultures, developing skills and expertise in local areas, and a specialist accommodation pilot. The fund is in addition to the provision of Independent Child Trafficking Advocates for children who have been trafficked.
The cross-government Missing Children and Adults Strategy will be published in the coming months and will include commitments aimed to prevent victims of child trafficking from going missing by ensuring they are given appropriate information and support. This includes work to encourage police forces to adopt the Operation Innerste process which aims to build trust between a child and the UK authorities, reducing the likelihood of them running away.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to encourage emergency services to promote the Herbert Protocol for people living with dementia in their local areas.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
People who go missing are often the most vulnerable in society. Initiatives such as the Herbert Protocol, are important tools to reduce the duration of a missing incident.
Implementation of the Herbert Protocol is an operational decision for individual police forces. The forthcoming update to the Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy, due to be published in the coming months, aims to raise awareness of effective practices, such as the Herbert Protocol, and encourages all agencies to work together to safeguard vulnerable individuals and to reduce missing incidents.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made in the last six months of the causes behind child victims of trafficking going missing shortly after the point of referral to the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The unaccompanied asylum seeking (UASC) Safeguarding Strategy, published in November 2017, included a commitment to pilot a standardised process for police when they first encounter an unaccompanied child, to inform effective practice in preventing UASC from going missing. Hertfordshire Police successfully implemented their First Encounter Pilot which has reduced missing incidents of the children it identified. It is now available to all forces nationally; to date 12 forces have begun implementing the process.
We are working to deliver a National Register of Missing Persons (NRMP) and for it to be in operation in 2020/2021. The Home Office is working to update the Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy, which was published in 2011. The refreshed strategy will be accompanied by an implementation plan that will include an action to deliver the NRMP.
On 16 January 2017, the Home Secretary announced £2.2m from the Child Trafficking Protection Fund. This has been awarded to seven organisations to protect vulnerable children in the UK and overseas who are at risk of trafficking.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) regularly publishes National Referral Mechanism (NRM) data but does not publish data about the number, proportion and referrals that have been made to the National Referral Mechanism as result of gang involvement. Latest statistics on NRM referrals and decisions are available at the following link:
Further information is also available in the 2018 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery which was published on 18 October 2018.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2018-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability on 20 November (187328), why they do not publish data on the number and proportion of successful referrals that have been made to the National Referral Mechanism as a result of gang involvement.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The unaccompanied asylum seeking (UASC) Safeguarding Strategy, published in November 2017, included a commitment to pilot a standardised process for police when they first encounter an unaccompanied child, to inform effective practice in preventing UASC from going missing. Hertfordshire Police successfully implemented their First Encounter Pilot which has reduced missing incidents of the children it identified. It is now available to all forces nationally; to date 12 forces have begun implementing the process.
We are working to deliver a National Register of Missing Persons (NRMP) and for it to be in operation in 2020/2021. The Home Office is working to update the Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy, which was published in 2011. The refreshed strategy will be accompanied by an implementation plan that will include an action to deliver the NRMP.
On 16 January 2017, the Home Secretary announced £2.2m from the Child Trafficking Protection Fund. This has been awarded to seven organisations to protect vulnerable children in the UK and overseas who are at risk of trafficking.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) regularly publishes National Referral Mechanism (NRM) data but does not publish data about the number, proportion and referrals that have been made to the National Referral Mechanism as result of gang involvement. Latest statistics on NRM referrals and decisions are available at the following link:
Further information is also available in the 2018 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery which was published on 18 October 2018.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2018-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to assess the links between organised crime networks, re-trafficking and children who go missing from care after being referred to the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The unaccompanied asylum seeking (UASC) Safeguarding Strategy, published in November 2017, included a commitment to pilot a standardised process for police when they first encounter an unaccompanied child, to inform effective practice in preventing UASC from going missing. Hertfordshire Police successfully implemented their First Encounter Pilot which has reduced missing incidents of the children it identified. It is now available to all forces nationally; to date 12 forces have begun implementing the process.
We are working to deliver a National Register of Missing Persons (NRMP) and for it to be in operation in 2020/2021. The Home Office is working to update the Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy, which was published in 2011. The refreshed strategy will be accompanied by an implementation plan that will include an action to deliver the NRMP.
On 16 January 2017, the Home Secretary announced £2.2m from the Child Trafficking Protection Fund. This has been awarded to seven organisations to protect vulnerable children in the UK and overseas who are at risk of trafficking.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) regularly publishes National Referral Mechanism (NRM) data but does not publish data about the number, proportion and referrals that have been made to the National Referral Mechanism as result of gang involvement. Latest statistics on NRM referrals and decisions are available at the following link:
Further information is also available in the 2018 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery which was published on 18 October 2018.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2018-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery
Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent children in the care of local authorities from going missing.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
We are clear that the right care placements for looked after children are vital for their stability, and these decisions should assess the risk of children going missing from placements. The Government’s ‘Missing Children and Adults strategy’ focuses primarily on vulnerable people who go missing within England and Wales, and provides a clear core framework in which we can work with local councils, police and other local partners to deliver collectively, the best protection possible for missing children, adults and their families.
The Department’s 2014 statutory guidance on ‘Children who run away or go missing from home or care’, makes clear the expectations we have on local councils to work with police and other partners to safeguard all vulnerable children. In addition, since 2014, we have placed a duty on local councils to report all incidences of children going missing from care. Children’s homes must have policies to stop children going missing; and when children do go missing, they must respond in line with local police protocols that includes understanding patterns of missing episodes to put preventative steps in place.
Local councils are continuing to improve data collections to include all incidents of children missing from care and so the numbers recorded are increasing as would be expected (although the data is still categorised as experimental). We will continue to assess data quality and what this indicates about managing risk.
Asked by: Baroness Walmsley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young children placed into care out of area subsequently go missing or become victims of abuse.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
The department does not hold information on looked after children placed out of area who subsequently go missing or become victims of abuse. However, local authorities, police and other partners share current local data to safeguard on all looked after children if they go missing. This includes understanding patterns of missing episodes to put preventative steps in place.
The government considers this an important issue. The Missing Children and Adults strategy, (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/missing-children-and-adults-strategy) which focuses primarily on vulnerable people who go missing within England and Wales, provides a core framework in which we can all work to deliver collectively the best protection possible for missing children, adults and their families.
The government is clear that the needs of the child are paramount when making decisions about the right care placement. Local authorities have a statutory duty to consider the right placement for the child and take into account a number of factors, one of which is placement area. For some children in care a placement outside of a home local authority area is in their best interests, provided there is effective planning and oversight. In recent years we have strengthened the safeguards around children being placed out of area, for example since 2013, Directors of Children’s Services must approve all placements at ‘distance’ (i.e. more than 20 miles away).
Asked by: Ann Coffey (The Independent Group for Change - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 6504, what assessment she has made of the reasons why 50 per cent of looked after children who are reported missing are children placed in residential accommodation.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Annual data recorded to 31 March 2017 showed that 50% of missing incidents were by children placed across a range of residential accommodation, including secure units, children’s homes or semi-independent living accommodation.
Local authorities are improving data collections to include all incidents of missing and so the numbers recorded are increasing (although the data is still categorised as experimental). We will continue to assess data quality.
Many residential settings do important work to provide placements and support for children with complex histories of going missing. In 2015, the government introduced Quality Standards to improve the care in homes and strengthened regulations. We have also placed a duty on local authorities to report all incidences of children going missing from care. Children’s homes must have policies to stop children going missing; and when children do go missing, they must respond in line with local police protocols.
The government considers this an important issue. The Missing Children and Adults strategy, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/missing-children-and-adults-strategy which focuses primarily on vulnerable people who go missing within England and Wales, provides a core framework in which we can all work to deliver collectively the best protection possible for missing children, adults and their families.