Study to identify risk factors that predict which children will repeatedly go missing.

Abstract

Missing children face significant risks and although most return safely, a number remain missing or encounter serious harm. Children who frequently run away are especially vulnerable, being more susceptible to dangers like alcohol, drugs, exploitation and sexual abuse. Therefore, the current research aimed to identify risk factors associated with a child repeatedly going missing, to shed light on this crucial yet rarely investigated area. Our analyses of real missing children data from one UK police force from June 2018 to July 2019 (N = 909), revealed that over 80% of all missing child reports are repeat disappearances. A small minority of children who repeatedly go missing (8.3%), also accounted for more than half of all missing episodes. Moreover, the likelihood of a child going missing on multiple occasions is associated with having a history of criminal exploitation, being a perpetrator of violence, having adverse childhood experiences, being arrested and being in care. Finally, these factors can be incorporated into a risk assessment to accurately identify those individuals most at risk of going missing repeatedly. The results have practical implications, providing a means for police and partner agencies to reliably identify high-risk children even before they go missing, allowing them to put prevention strategies in place, and thereby improving safeguarding within their limited resources.