Missing children | Nick Meller Associat

Children missing from care or home

I have worked within the specialist field of missing young persons for over 10 years, and have specialist knowledge and experience in completing Return Home Interviews & Conversations.

Devon is a large rural county and may seem very far away! If you work for a local authority outside Devon, you may have Looked After Children living here. If young person were to go missing, you may be wanting someone to support you with completing a Return Home Conversation/Interview. I can help your organisation and can be contracted on a spot purchase basis to offer and provide Return Home Interviews & Conversations. My experience in this area allows me to build trusting relationships with young people, encouraging them to have open and honest conversations about the reasons which led to them going missing.

By outsourcing this service to NMA, your organisation will save valuable time and resources. I have a robust understanding of safeguarding requirements with respect to missing young people and will liaise with you directly.

If you are the manager of a children's home across the South West, there may be occasions where you need independent Return Home Conversations/Interviews to be completed for one of the children or young people in your care. I can help.

If you would like to find out more about how I can support your organisation, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Every year, approximately 100,000 young people are reported missing in the UK.

Children and young people who are Looked After are at increased risk of going

missing and of harm. The reasons why young people go missing are varied and

may be due to range of reasons including:

Mental health

Being in care

Relationships issues with family

Substance and alcohol use

Peer pressure

Being a victim of exploitation

Trauma

Safeguarding young people who go missing from care or home is an essential and

statutory requirement. When children go missing, they may be at significant risk of

harm. In England, local authorities are required under statutory guidance to ensure

that every time a child or young person goes missing, that they are offered a Return

Home Interview/ Conversation, by an independent person who is not involved in the

caring arrangements for the child.