17th July 2023
A new joint protocol for missing children was launched by Health and Social Care NI and the Police Service for Northern Ireland on Monday 17 July 2023.
The aim of this protocol is to ensure that Police and Health and Social Care work together effectively and that the best interests of the child underpin every aspect of working with children and young people.
Ciara Quinn, Social Work Lead for Looked After Children at the SPPG said, “We recognise that this is a difficult and often challenging area of work for Health and Social Care Trust staff and we have drawn on the experience of practitioners, national good practice and new research guidance.
“This new protocol is designed to support effective collaborative and safeguarding responses by Police and Social Services, and builds upon developments in our knowledge and experience, along with feedback from care experienced young people. It offers clear guidelines of who should speak to them on their return, how to gather the relevant information from the child in order to properly safeguard them for any future missing episodes, and to support them in the most appropriate way. The voices of young people have been incorporated into this document in particular how the return should be managed and the questions shaped.”
The updated missing children joint protocol is available at:
The statutory parties and signatories to this protocol are the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG), Department of Health and the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI).