Working with parents and carers of children who are going missing repeatedly

A partnership between Missing People and NWG to provide resources to help develop improvements in practice 

When a child goes missing repeatedly it is a warning sign that something may be seriously wrong: they may be being groomed or exploited; they may be struggling with their mental health and at risk of self-harm; they may be experiencing abuse; or they may be facing a whole myriad of other risks. 

Every time a child goes missing they are exposed to harm, and repeat missing incidents are an indicator that we are failing to address the drivers, and failing to safeguard children and give them the support they need. Yet repeat missing is far too common: almost two thirds (138,000 incidents each year) of all reports are for children who have already been missing that year. 

We need to provide much better support to children who are at risk of repeat missing, with genuine intervention to prevent any ongoing harm they’re experiencing.  

But alongside this we also need to acknowledge the impact on, and importance of working with, the parents and carers of children who are going missing repeatedly.  

We do know there are rare occasions where parents can be harmful or fail to act as a protective factor for their child. However, when it’s safe to work with them, parents will often play a key role in safeguarding. To enable this, parents will need support to understand what is happening, and how they can best help their child. If parents were getting the right support, children would be better protected, and we would also better acknowledge the traumatic impact on parents themselves when facing these situations – where they are often desperate to help but don’t know what to do. 

Parents and carers are likely to be the experts on their child, ultimately knowing them best. They can be a valuable partner in safeguarding: they will be the one reporting their child missing; providing key information to help build the picture of risk; helping their child attend appointments, often advocating for them with different services; and physically being there for their child on their return from a missing incident.  Maintaining or rebuilding connections between parents or carers and child is key to establishing stability and helping a child’s long-term wellbeing. 

Over recent years, NWG and Missing People have worked together to better understand support for parents when a child goes repeatedly missing, and to develop resources for professionals to better work with parents. 

• In 2023 we published guidance for professionals who work with children on their return from being missing, particularly those who deliver return interviews. This simple document sets out how they can consider parents as part of that response: Centring the child and working with their network 

• In 2025 we developed a series of prompts for professionals to help parents when their child comes back from being missing: ensuring we equip them to understand what is happening for their child; support them to identify what their child needs when they return home; and help them to navigate how to help their child get help during an incredibly difficult and stressful time: Preparing parents for their child’s return – prompts for practitioners. 

• And we are now publishing an overview for practitioners, with a focus on self-reflection, to consider their areas response for parents and carers of repeat missing children, and whether their systems allow them and their teams to provide meaningful support: Considerations for supporting parents of repeat missing children

We hope these resources will support professionals to explore and build on their response for parents and carers. By improving this support, we would help parents in crisis, but also better safeguard some of the most vulnerable missing children. 

If this work is of interest you may also want to explore recent research into the links between parental conflict and children going missing, which clearly identifies the need for better support for parents who may be struggling to cope with their child’s repeat missing incidents.