When a Child is Found Out-of-Area
When a child is found in a force area that is not their home area, both the finding force and the home force have obligations. The child's welfare is the immediate priority — do not delay welfare actions pending clarification of who "owns" the case.
Immediate actions — finding force
- Check the child against the Police National Computer (PNC) and your force's missing persons system immediately on contact
- If a missing person marker is active, notify the home force misper coordinator before any other action. Do not stand down the marker without the home force's agreement
- Conduct a welfare assessment (see Resource 03 — Talking to Young People). Document what you find
- If safeguarding concerns are present, contact your local MASH and the home force area's MASH — both must be notified
- Submit an intelligence log on your own system and share via PNC/NDNAD or direct contact with the home force intelligence unit
- If NRM indicators are present, submit the NRM referral (this can be submitted by any First Responder, regardless of force area)
A child found out-of-area should not be returned to their home address or care placement without a welfare assessment and agreement from the home force misper coordinator. Returning a child to a cuckooed address or exploitative situation without safeguarding checks can constitute a failure of duty of care.
Missing Person Risk Grading
| Grade | Definition | Timescale | Key Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Risk | Immediate risk to life; vulnerability; known exploitation; child under 12; previous high-risk episodes | Immediate — within hours | Immediate deployment; SIO notification; MASH immediate referral; PNC circulate; media consideration |
| Medium Risk | No immediate risk to life but circumstances indicate vulnerability; pattern of going missing; known gang or exploitation associations | Within 24 hours of report | Active enquiries; MASH notification; intelligence cross-check; RTH plan in place |
| Low Risk | No vulnerability indicators; previous pattern of going missing without harm; whereabouts likely known; older teenager with no exploitation history | Within 72 hours or on return | Record and monitor; RTH on return; review grade if not found within 24 hours |
A Looked After Child who goes missing should almost never be graded Low Risk. Their care status itself is a vulnerability indicator. If in doubt, grade higher. The cost of over-grading is manageable; the cost of under-grading can be a child's life.
Return to Home Interviews (RTH)
A Return to Home Interview must be offered to every child who returns from a missing episode. For children at risk of exploitation, it is one of the most significant opportunities for disclosure and intelligence. RTH interviews are primarily conducted by independent professionals (not police), but officers play an important role in initiating and following up.
Officer responsibilities
- Ensure the RTH is requested on the child's return — do not close the misper record without confirming this
- Provide the RTH interviewer with all available intelligence before the interview takes place
- Review the RTH outcome and any disclosure intelligence received
- If disclosure indicates exploitation: make MASH referral and NRM referral as appropriate
- For LAC — notify the placing authority of the RTH outcome
Warning signs in RTH outcomes
- Child refuses RTH entirely — may indicate coached refusal or fear of disclosure consequences
- RTH gives a different account to the one given to police on discovery — worth cross-referencing
- Child discloses being at a different location to where they were found — indicates movement between addresses
- Child returns with new items, cash, or a different phone to when they left — county lines indicators
Cross-Force Intelligence Sharing
County lines operations deliberately cross force boundaries to exploit gaps in intelligence sharing. Officers should actively work to close those gaps.
Intelligence sharing mechanisms
- PNC (Police National Computer): Use for circulating missing child markers and checking subjects found OT against home force records. Ensure markers are updated promptly on discovery
- NDNAD / STORM / NICHE: Submit intelligence logs to your own system and flag for cross-force sharing via your intelligence unit
- NPCC Coordination: For high-harm county lines operations crossing three or more force areas, contact the NPCC County Lines Coordination Centre (CLCC) via your serious organised crime lead
- NCA NCCU: For cross-border online exploitation or international dimensions, contact the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit via your force SPoC
- Direct force-to-force contact: Don't wait for formal mechanisms when a child is at immediate risk — call the home force misper coordinator directly