McIlveen launches runaways consultation

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The DUPs spokesperson for Children and Young People, Michelle McIlveen, has launched a consultation into missing children and young people, which will last for four weeks, closing on Monday, April 26.

The Strangford MLA explained: It is estimated that around 2,000 children and young people run away from home or care in Northern Ireland each year.

The rate of running away from care is on average much higher for a child or young people living at home.

However, data is not collected centrally by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on those children and young people who go missing from care.

This is despite the state assuming the role of parent for that child or young person.

She continued: A great deal of evidence has been gathered which shows that when a child or young person goes missing they are at a greater risk of sexual exploitation, falling into criminality or drug abuse.

The current guidance does not require the recording of incidences of children and young people going missing.

Even the police guidance on involvement with residential care is formulated in such a way that it will not be known if a particular care home had a greater incidence of residents going missing or if there was a concentration of such incidents in a particular locality.

Gathering such data on a regional basis would assist the Department in preparing adequate policy responses.

The proposed Bill will provide for the keeping of accurate statistics when children and young people go missing or run away from home or care, and require the production of a Northern Ireland Strategy and an Action Plan to address the need to prevent and to safeguard and support children and young people who go missing.

Copies of the consultation document can be obtained from Miss McIlveens office at 1 Bridge Street Link, Comber, or from the DUP website: www.dup.org.uk