Abuse fears for missing Shropshire children

The figures have almost trebled since last year and come amid warnings that vulnerable girls are open to organised abuse.

Revealed through the Freedom of Information Act, they show that some of the county's most troubled children are repeatedly disappearing from residential homes and foster placements.

Children in care have gone missing more than 400 times this year in Shropshire.

The county has the third highest number of children's care homes, following Lancaster and Kent.

Today's figures show some of the county's most vulnerable children are disappearing repeatedly from residential homes and foster placements. One child went missing from a Shropshire care home 120 times in 2009, and this year one youngster has gone missing 29 times.

Between April and October this year, 130 children have gone missing in Shropshire and another 134 from Telford, this has generated more than 500 missing person reports. It is an acknowledgement of problems that are not new to the care system.

West Mercia Police has had 3,514 reports of children missing from care in the past five years. Government officials have issued guidance to care home staff to make sure that any child who has gone missing is interviewed by someone independent to establish why they left and what happened while they were gone.

Telford & Wrekin Council and Shropshire Council both have a duty to find out what has happened when a child goes missing. Social services staff in our county are not alone in having to tackle the problem, with the Rotherham scandal a shocking example.

About 650 children reported missing in Greater Manchester in 2014 were at risk of child sexual exploitation or serious harm, a report suggested – and almost half of the reports were about children in care. The study said police received 9,789 reports concerning 3,242 missing under-18s between January and September.

The report by Stockport MP Ann Coffey was commissioned in the wake of the Rochdale grooming case in 2012.

Ms Coffey said the children that had gone missing from care were "very vulnerable" and "at significant risk" of being sexually exploited by predators

. In Lancashire 999 under-18s were classed as missing by police in the same period.

Superintendent James Tozer, Shropshire commander of West Mercia Police, said: "There is no such thing as an "average" missing person inquiry

More than half of the 653 reports of missing children so far this year in Shropshire involve children in care.

Council chiefs and police today warned there is strong link between a child who "persistently" goes missing and child sexual exploitation.

Suspected cases of child sex exploitation are on the rise across the whole of Shropshire. The latest statistics show there were 39 cases referred to Shropshire Council's child sex exploitation panel from April 2013 to March this year – an increase of 44 per cent on the year before.

Officers believe that publicity brought by the police's Operation Chalice in Telford, which led to the jailing of seven men who were part of a child sex ring, may have encouraged more victims to speak out.

Since 2009, West Mercia Police has received 59 reports of missing children aged under 18 where child sexual exploitation or sex offences were involved.

A Shropshire police officer, who did not wish to be named, said: "There is a very close link between a child repeatedly going missing and sexual exploitation. "Reports are recorded in this category if the officer has been told the child has been a victim of these crimes or if the officers believes that they have."

Eleven of the reports of missing children linked to sexual abuse in the last year are in Shropshire, while five of the reports are in Telford. The figures relate to individual episodes and could involve one child repeatedly going missing.

Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin councils today both stressed the issue of missing children was of the highest priority.

Karen Bradshaw, director of Children's Services at Shropshire Council, said it was important to distinguish between missing children and those who have gone missing on more than one occasion.

Today's figures reveal the number of individual reports recorded, but do not show how many of the reports relate to the same child.

She urged residents to consider this "important distinction", which would have a direct impact on the interpretation of the data. She said: "We recognise that missing children are more vulnerable to abuse, criminality and homelessness. We know from high profile cases that persistent missing episodes may be an indicator of sexual exploitation. We work closely with our partner agencies to respond swiftly when children go missing and upon their return. Missing children are a high priority for us."

Laura Johnston, Telford & Wrekin Council's Director of Children and Family Services, said: "The welfare of children in the borough of Telford and Wrekin is a priority of both the council and the Telford's Safeguarding Children Board. Tackling child sexual exploitation and protecting children who go missing are a key part of this.

"We recognise that no one agency can tackle child sexual exploitation effectively by themselves. We are clear that we will do everything we can to bring perpetrators to justice and we would urge anyone who believes a child might be a victim of sexual exploitation or at risk of being a victim to get in touch with either the police or the council's Family Connect team on (01952) 385385.

"We have developed information leaflets for carers, young people and parents that highlight what to look for in a potential victim's behaviour and demeanour and who to talk to if you are worried that a young person you know might be a victim. These can be found at www.telford.gov.uk/cate.

"Telford's history in terms of child sexual exploitation is well documented with offenders who were prosecuted as a result of Operation Chalice being jailed for a total of 49 years. However, it is worth pointing out that none of the victims in the Operation Chalice case were in care at the point that the exploitation first came to light.

"Part of the work that surrounded Chalice included identifying typical indicators of child sexual exploitation. Some of that work we did in Telford fed into what is now nationally recognised as best practice in what is a widespread national problem."

Where to get help and information:

• For more information visit www.safeguardingshropshireschildren.org.uk

• Telford’s Family Connect can be contacted on (01952) 385385

• Anyone with concerns can call the Shropshire Concerns Line on 0345 678 9021