Hundreds of children going missing from care, figures show

Youngsters as young as 10 feature in 1,406 city-wide reports

Fears have been raised for Dundee’s most vulnerable children after shock new figures revealed hundreds of youngsters going missing from care.

Children as young as 10 featured in 1,406 city-wide reports of looked after minors on the run in the last five years.

Charities have warned that children missing from care are at high risk of falling victim to sexual exploitation and physical abuse.

The Scottish Government admitted the care system “must do better”.

There were 288 reports of children in care going missing last year, according to data obtained from Dundee City Council.

That figure has crept up since 2013, but is down on the 328 who were declared missing in 2011. The longest a child was absent for was three days, with the average about four hours.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, who obtained the figures, said the numbers are “incredibly concerning”.

“We need to make sure local services have the resources that enable any child that is put under care is given the support and the tools they need,” the MSP said.

A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “We have good partnership arrangements in place with Police Scotland to respond to missing persons.

“We work closely with our child protection partners and will always ensure there are detailed discussions with the young person involved.

“The council and its partners regularly review protocols and procedures in light of incidents of young people who go missing for any length of time.”

Asked whether councils are given enough resources to minimise the incidents, a Scottish Government spokesman said they have treated town halls “very fairly” despite UK cuts.

“We firmly believe the care system can and must do better for our most vulnerable young people,” he added.

“While these figures show in most cases the child was missing for a few hours, even short-term absences are a concern.

“We have established an independent review group, driven by those with experience of care, which will make recommendations to improve both the quality of life and outcomes of young people in care.”

We firmly believe the care system can and must do better for our most vulnerable young people. SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN