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YOUNG RUNAWAYS AND CHILDREN ABUSED THROUGH PROSTITUTION: WORKING GROUP CONSULTATION PAPER

GUIDANCE FOR PROFESSIONALS WORKING WITH YOUNG RUNAWAYS

Introduction

12. Almost 9000 children run away each year. A number of these children will run to a relative or friend's house or if they are in care they may seek to return home. While many young people who run away from home will be safe, research shows that running away puts a young person at risk. Research undertaken by the University of York found that around one in six of the young people who ran away reported being either physically or sexually assaulted while away from home while more than a quarter had slept rough on at least one occasion.

13. This Guidance is for police, health, social services, education and all other agencies and professionals that may work with children

Definitions

14. For the purposes of this Guidance, a child or young person is a boy or girl under the age of 18.

15. Running away is difficult to define and may mean different things to different people. For the purposes of this document a young runaway is a child or young person under the age of 18 who spends one night or more away from the family home or substitute care without permission, or who has been forced to leave by their parents or carers. The welfare of the child must be the primary consideration and in some cases therefore concerns may be raised about the safety of the child after a shorter absence.

Local protocols - Development

16. Local protocols should be developed to respond to young runaways and children sexually exploited through prostitution. It is for local agencies to decide whether they wish to develop 2 separate protocols or a joint protocol. It is important that any protocols are placed within the wider spectrum of services for children in need. Child Protection Committees have a key role in the development and monitoring of any protocol.

Protocols should be developed involving representatives from:

• local authorities (education and social services);
• health services;
• the police;
• the criminal justice service;
• Scottish Children's Reporter's Administration;
• relevant voluntary agencies; and
• the local inter-agency domestic violence forum.

17. Child Protection Committees may wish to involve other agencies with a relevant interest in this issue, including relevant local and national voluntary organisations (where they have a local presence). Consideration should be given to involving other relevant professionals such as local Sheriffs and the Procurator Fiscal. Young people who have experience of being sexually exploited through prostitution or running away, and who are willing to help and advise, should also be involved, as appropriate.

18. There are 2 groups of young people who need to be considered in the preparation of a protocol: young people in care and young people living at home and different approaches may be required to address the needs of these 2 groups of young people.

Local Protocols - Content

Prevention

Local Protocols must:

• Consider how to signpost young people to information on local services available to help them. Research has suggested that young people would welcome opportunities to access advice on issues around family conflict, parental separation and divorce, substance misuse (including misuse by members of their family) and mistreatment.
• Stress that all young people in residential care should be provided with advice on sexual health, drug misuse and other matters relating to their personal safety and welfare. Staff should be equipped to discuss matters of sexuality and sexual health, drug or alcohol misuse, running away, offending or other high risk behaviour with the young people in their care and to respond to young people's concerns. Young people should be able to discuss these issues in confidence, provided there are no concerns about their safety.
• Emphasise the need to assess the risks of running for each child in care. This could be included within a wider care plan addressing any risks to the young person and their needs in a holistic manner. The risk assessment should include information on past patterns of behaviour and a priority rating if the child goes missing. Some authorities operate a red/amber system to indicate the different levels of risk. The priority rating should reflect the child's age, vulnerability and past involvement in high-risk activity. The risk assessment should also include information on when the police should be informed and action to be undertaken in seeking to find the child. The assessment should be reviewed regularly and updated to reflect changing circumstances.
• Encourage young people's residential units, in partnership with the police, to consider what protective action should be taken to ensure that vulnerable children in their care are not targeted by adults (or other young people) in the community who might wish to exploit them or involve them in high risk or criminal activities. Consideration should also be given to appropriate action to be taken if there are concerns about a young person's associates.
• Include information on when a child in substitute care who has gone missing should be defined as having run away. This may differ according to the age and vulnerability of each child and should be considered when assessing the risk of running away.
• Include guidance on when the police should be notified about the child's absence. This may differ according to the risk assessment for each child but once a certain period of time has elapsed all unauthorised absences should be reported to the police.
• Confirm who else should be informed about a child's absence (parents/social worker).
• Confirm that when discussing issues with young people the practitioner must be clear about how information will be dealt with and any limits to confidentiality.

Immediate Safety

If a child goes missing the primary focus of any response must be to ensure the immediate safety of the child. If a child goes missing from home then parents or carers are more likely to report their child as missing to the police than to any other agency.

Local Protocols must:

• Outline the responsibilities of individual agencies and clarify the responsibilities of different agencies in attempting to locate the child and return them to their home or care placement. Generally the initial responsibility for children in substitute care will lie with the local authority acting in 'loco parentis' but any risks to the child or the worker will need to be considered before any action is undertaken.
• Clarify the format and type of information to be provided by local authorities to the police. Information to be provided could include a photograph of the missing child; an indication of the priority attached to this case and an outline of the action already taken.
• Include guidance on actions once a child is located. This should include information on who should be informed of the child's return. It should also address the question of who should have responsibility for returning the child to their care placement or home (if return is considered to be in the child's best interests). Guidance on addressing the needs of young runaways normally resident outwith the local authority area should also be included. Where necessary the local authority in which the child is found should provide overnight accommodation for a young runaway prior to discussion with the child's home local authority about responsibility for the child's return or accommodation

Support for the Child

Local Protocols must:

• Confirm that every young person who runs away should have the opportunity of discussing with a professional the reasons for their running away, the risks of it occurring again and what action needs to be undertaken to reduce the risk. Ideally discussions should be held before the child is returned to their home or care placement (if return is judged to be in the child's best interests) and should not be held in the presence of the child's parents or carers. Young people should have the option of discussing their reasons for absconding with someone independent. If a young person is looked after, responsibility for ensuring that this opportunity is provided, will rest with the local authority. Local agreements will need to be established in respect of other cases. Where young people remain at risk within their homes or their communities, the police and social work services should ensure that enquiries are made about the risks and action is taken to protect the runaway. This may require a criminal investigation, child protection enquiries or discussions with other professionals who are involved with the young person. It may not always be possible to resolve all of the child's concerns, however, it is important that the issues are explored and fully considered.
• Recognise that the interview with the young person may identify child protection issues or a need for information on sources of support or advice.
• Recognise the need to consider whether any support is required for the child or the wider family. Consideration should be given to developing with the young person a plan to reduce the likelihood of further episodes of running away.
• Remind professionals of the need to be aware of signs that the child may have been involved in high risk activity or abuse during their absence.
• Stress the importance of welcoming a child or young person who returns to a residential establishment having previously run away.
• Emphasise the importance of information both in identifying children at risk and in building up a profile to help determine the priority rating for an individual child in substitute care should they abscond again. It is important that statutory agencies share information about young people who run away to ensure that young people in need are identified. Information may also help to identify any area-wide patterns in absconding. Aggregate information will also be helpful in service planning.

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