Request
How many children were reported missing in 2016
How many children were missing more than once
How many children were missing frequently
How many children were missing for more than 24 hours, 48 hours , 72 hours, a week, more than a week , more than a month for each episode?
How many children have not been located?
How many children who are reported missing have been referred to services at risk of child sexual exploitation?
Response
Devon County Council can confirm that we hold the information you have requested. However we do not have an automated system to provide this information and would therefore need to manually review the care records of all children who were recorded as missing (2800). This data would then need to be validated to ensure its accuracy. To undertake this exercise would exceed the time allowed responding to requests.
Under the Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limits) Regulations 2004, the Council is not obliged to spend greater than 18 hours extracting, locating or retrieving information in response to a Freedom of Information request. For this reason we feel that Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act (cost of compliance would exceed the appropriate limits) would