National Child Protection Alerts: Guidance on Practice and Issuance
National Child Protection Alerts are crucial for children subject to protection plans who go missing. This guide outlines the principles, process, and actions required to issue and manage alerts effectively. It emphasizes the importance of collaboration between relevant authorities and agencies to ensure the safety of vulnerable children. Immediate action and careful assessment are key components in handling missing children cases with sensitivity and urgency.
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Quick Guide Quick Guide - - Guidance on Issuing National on Issuing National Child Protection Alerts. Child Protection Alerts. Guidance Practice Development Service
Content 2. Missing Children In Care 1. Basic Principles 3. Immediate Action 5. The Process to Follow to Issue and to End a National Alert. 6. Notification Thresholds 4. Strategy Meeting/Discussion 7. Exceptional Alerts v.1 2
Basic Principles Basic Principles National alerts are issued on children (including unborn babies) who are subject to a Child Protection Plan and who go missing from their LA area. The national alerts notification system is from Child Protection Custodian to Child Protection Custodian (or Designated Officer). It should not simply be an administrative task. When issuing a national alert, it is essential for an alert to have been raised through the Head of Safeguarding and QA (using the inbox missing.children@medway.gov.uk) in accordance with Medway Children s Social Care Missing Children Procedure. v.1 3
Missing Children In Care Missing Children In Care The national child protection alerts system should NOT be used as a missing persons alerts process for vulnerable adults, unaccompanied asylum seekers or children in care who go missing. In exceptional circumstances notifications of missing children in care can be issued, subject to the test below. Professionals should be alert to any risks that the mother may have been exploited/trafficked including Forced Marriage etc Professionals should involve all the agencies with current or recent contact with the expectant mother / family to assess the child/ren's or unborn child's vulnerability. Professionals should consider questions such as: Is the mother a child herself, Is she subject to a child protection plan and/or is she a looked after child. Is there good reason to believe that the expectant mother / family may be the victim of a crime? Has there been a pre-birth conference for the child and is the unborn child subject to a pre-birth child protection assessment? Are any of the children of the family the subject of child protection plans? Is the family currently subject to a s47 enquiry? Is there a person present in the household or visiting the mother with previous convictions for an offence against children, or other person who poses a risk of harm to children? Is it clear that the expectant mother / family is missing, whereabouts unknown? v.1 4
Immediate Action Immediate Action The local authority Child Protection Adviser must be informed if a child subject of a child protection plan or an unborn child subject of a pre-birth child protection plan goes missing. Local authority children's social care, the police Child Abuse Investigation Team and police Missing Person's Unit should exchange information and work together. Local authority children's social care must complete the assessment of risk to the child / unborn child, and of their needs. The assessment will require local authority children's social care to engage with all the agencies that have current or recent involvement with the child or expectant mother and family. Existing records in these agencies must be checked to obtain any information which may help to trace the mother / family (e.g., details of friends and relatives), and this information should be passed to the police officer undertaking enquiries to trace the mother. Local authority children's social care should consider whether to notify members of the missing expectant mother / family's extended family, and if so how. v.1 5
Strategy Meeting/Discussion Strategy Meeting/Discussion If, following the above procedures, the expectant mother / family has not been traced, a strategy meeting / discussion should be convened within five working days. The strategy meeting / discussion should consider whether the details of the expectant mother / family should be circulated to other local authorities. If so, then the local authority child protection adviser should notify other local authority children's social care services and Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships. The strategy meeting / discussion should also consider whether other agencies could be notified (e.g., designated nurses can be notified in writing, and they may circulate details to neighbouring maternity units and health visiting teams) v.1 6
The Process to Follow to Issue a The Process to Follow to Issue a National Alert. National Alert. 1. Social workers must complete the Notification of National Child Protection Alert. This template should include sufficient written information to enable the individual case threshold decision to be made and to issue an alert notification. 2. Once completed, the Notification should be sent through to the missing.children@medway.gov.uk inbox, who will quality assure the document to make sure that the correct information is included. 3. The Head of Safeguarding and QA will be responsible for signing off the national alert so that it can be cascaded across the national Custodian/Designated officer list. v.1 7
The Process to Follow to End a The Process to Follow to End a National Alert. National Alert. When children are located an update to the National Alert should be completed. If the children are not located, a new notification should be issued at 6 monthly intervals, giving the date that the child/children originally went missing. The Safeguarding and QA Team should ensure that this process is completed and follow up with the social work teams. v.1 8
Exceptional Alerts N.B. The notification thresholds given above must first be satisfied. 1. Children who have disappeared immediately before, during or immediately following a section 47 investigation of serious allegations of significant harm where the Social Work Manager considers that there is evidence of sufficient danger to justify a national alert notification. 2. Children on a care order who are deemed to be in danger because they have been abducted by a parent/individual who poses a significant risk of harm to the child and whose whereabouts are not known. 3. Children accommodated following significant child protection concerns who are deemed to be in danger because they have been removed without notice by a parent/individual who poses a significant risk of harm to the child and whose whereabouts are not known. v.1 9
