Note: The terms ‘child’ and ‘young person’ describe any person under the age of 18.

Procedure

If a child goes missing during an event, the club will apply the following procedure:

• Ensure that all other children continue to be supervised appropriately while a search for the child concerned is carried out.
• Organise the remaining available responsible adults to conduct a search of the surrounding area allocating each individual to a specific area. Request all those searching report back within a short time dependent on the size of the area being searched.
• If the child cannot be found after a good search of the immediate surroundings, contact the child’s parents to advise them of the concern and reassure them that everything is being done to locate the child.
• Make a note of the circumstances in which the child has gone missing and where they were last seen and prepare a detailed physical description of the child, to include their hair and eye colour, approximate height and build and clothing they were wearing, as this will be required by the police.
• Report the concern to the police if the search is unsuccessful and no later than 20 minutes after the initial missing report if the search is ongoing.
• Follow police guidance if further action is recommended and maintain close contact with the police.
• Report the incident to the club welfare officers.
• Ensure that you inform all adults involved including the parents, searchers and police if at any stage the child is located.

ACTIONS SUMMARY Flowchart