Do you offer children who run away or go missing a return home interview after each episode of running away?
Yes
Are these provided to all children missing from home and care or those who meet a set criteria?
Return home interviews are provided to all Devon missing young children who are reported to Devon County Council by the Police, whether they have an allocated social worker or not. There are no set criteria.
2) In 2016 and 2015, (two separate answers please) how many children ran away? (please include each child once if they ran away more than once)
From care
Run away” is not terminology used by Devon County Council. Children who went missing while in care are reported to the Department for Education in the Looked After Children Statutory Return.
2015-2016: 85
2016-2017: 135
From home
2015 – 2016 = although we may hold some information it is not available in a format that would enable us to locate and collate it within less than eighteen hours, therefore it is exempt under Section 12 of the Freedom of information Act 2001.
June 2016 – 2017 = 345
We may hold some information for April and May 2016 but it is not available in a reportable format as above.
3) In 2016 and 2015, (two separate answers please) how many episodes of run aways were there? (please detail how many times runaway children were reported even if it was one child who ran away more than once)
Run away” is not terminology used by Devon County Council. Children who went missing while in care are reported to the Department for Education in the Looked After Children Statutory Return.
2015-16: 263
2016-17: 939
The increase in numbers could have been due to good partnership working with the police and an improvement in recording missing episodes.
Of those episodes of children reported missing after running away from home in 2015, how many had a return home interview?
Return Home Interview data is not in a reportable format and would require a manual review of 263 client files, each of which would take at least ten minutes, making a total in excess of the 18 hours specified in the Freedom of information Act Section 12 – Cost of Compliance. Therefore this information is exempt.
Of those episodes reported missing in 2016 how many had a return home interview?
Return Home Interview data is not in a reportable format and would require a manual review of 939 client files, each of which would take at least ten minutes, making a total in excess of the 18 hours specified in the Freedom of information Act Section 12 – Cost of Compliance. Therefore this information is exempt.
How many return home interviews were carried out within the 72 hour time frame?
Return Home Interview data is not in a reportable format and would require a manual review of 1202 client files, each of which would take at least ten minutes, making a total in excess of the 18 hours specified in the Freedom of information Act Section 12 – Cost of Compliance. Therefore this information is exempt.
Do you have a named senior children’s service manager responsible for monitoring policies and performance relating to children who go missing from home or care?
Yes
Karen Morris for missing children who are children in care.
Rachel Gillot for children who go missing who are not in care.