Child Protection Guidance 2021

Part 4: Specific support needs and concerns 184 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 Version 1.0 September 2021 between local authorities, national agencies and partners in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland to allow exchanges of information, and will support local authorities in using these agreements. 4.309 Unknown to education and home educated. A child may be unknown to services as a result of their removal from mainstream education, or because they have never having been enrolled within an education authority. Where this is the result of a decision being made to educate them at home this should not, in itself, be regarded as a child protection concern. For further information, see the Government Home Education Guidance (which is due to be reviewed). 4.310 Children in care settings such as residential or foster care are often reported missing. There were 7,598 Missing Persons Investigations by Police Scotland in relation to looked after and accommodated children in 2017-18. The risk of harm for these children is often increased by their existing vulnerability, and referral to the police may be necessary. However, there may be circumstances in which there is considered to be no risk, or a tolerable level of risk, in relation to a young person; for example, when they fail to return from a known location, and there are no concerns about their wellbeing. To affirm general principles during the COVID-19 pandemic, Scottish Government, Police Scotland and Social Work Scotland issued a Joint statement: Children and young people who go missing from care - Social Work Scotland 4.311 Considering a person ‘not at home’ rather than missing should only be used where it has previously been agreed that it might be an appropriate response for this child in these circumstances. However, it is necessary to have clear and consistent local inter- agency protocol and definitions. The protocol should outline the approach to prevention planning and risk assessment, a process for return discussions, and follow-up intervention processes to deal with escalating concerns from repeat episodes. ‘Prevention’ includes consideration of the element of risk, and recommended responses within a child’s assessment and plan. 4.312 Partnership agreements. The Pilot National Partnership Agreement for Looked After Children who go missing from Residential and Foster Care in Scotland (CELCIS 2018) indicated that local partnership agreements and regular liaison meetings between Police Scotland and relevant local authority staff can support consistent, safe and effective information sharing and response. The role of the Police Missing Persons Operational Co‑ordinator is key within such partnerships. 4.313 Missing families. If health, police, education, local authority social work or the armed forces become concerned that a family has disappeared from a known location, when there are or have been concerns of significant harm for the children or an unborn child, then local multi-agency protocols should encompass: • the responsibilities of child protection leads in health and education and of key officers, in the local authority, in relation to the tracing of ‘missing’ children whose names are on the child protection register • immediate, reasonable and practical efforts that will be undertaken to locate the family • notifications to social work or police, as appropriate, if health or education services first become aware of this concern • processes for notification and review of notifications. This includes: • the NHS Scotland Children Missing from Known Address Form. This documents preparatory work undertaken within the health board area to locate the family. It should be filed within the child’s health record or in the mother’s record in the