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Hundreds of vulnerable children – including a baby boy less than a year old – in the care of social services are going missing and are at risk of paedophiles and drug gangs, we can reveal.

A WalesOnline investigation found at least 115 individual children under the care of local authorities have been reported missing on nearly 1,700 occasions since January 2015.

One “looked-after” 15-year-old girl in Cardiff was missing for more than nine months while a baby boy less than a year old went missing for a day in June 2015 in Conwy .

Figures obtained through freedom of information requests found dozens of children in care were reported missing between January 2015 and May 2017 in at least 1,695 separate missing incidents, with some children going missing on multiple occasions.

Caerphilly council’s response revealed teenage girls and boys as young as 14 were missing for as long as several weeks at a time, including a boy missing throughout the whole of last Christmas.

Catriona Williams, chief executive of charity Children in Wales, said it was “extremely dangerous” that the whereabouts of children in care were potentially unknown, adding that they were “particularly targeted” by paedophiles and drug dealers.

The NSPCC said the “worrying statistics” related to children at “grave risk of further harm” while Children’s Society policy director Sam Royston said it was “deeply worrying” children in care across Wales are going missing as they are “facing a serious risk of abuse, harm or exploitation on the streets”.

(Image: PA)

The key findings

We asked all 22 of Wales’ local authorities for the numbers of looked-after children in their care who had been reported missing between January 2015 and May this year.

The information supplied by the 13 councils who supplied data showed a minimum of 115 individual children were reported missing, with 1,695 separate “missing incidents” recorded.

However the true total is likely to be much higher as five councils – Gwynedd , Merthyr Tydfil , Monmouthshire , Neath Port Talbot , and Powys – refused to provide the information while Anglesey said the statistics were “not held” – despite the All-Wales Protocol on Missing Children stating that “each agency should have its own guidance and recording systems in respect of children going missing”.

Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen said its systems were unable to break the information down to disclose which missing children were classified as looked-after while Swansea council did reply to our request for information but later said the figures they had provided were “inaccurate” as a result of a “simple cock-up”.

They did not clarify the figures by the time of publication.

Bridgend council – which recorded the second-highest number of missing incidents, with 385 relating to 60 individual children – said its data only covered the period since July 31, 2015, as the authority “did not begin capturing information on missing children in a consistent way” until then.

The highest number of missing incidents were in Newport, where 37 children were reported missing on a total of 593 occasions – an average of 16 times per child.

There were 160 missing incidents recorded in Rhondda Cynon Taff , a further 185 in Ceredigion , 73 in the Vale of Glamorgan , another 115 in Denbighshire , and 99 in Flintshire .

According to data from the National Crime Agency, 43% of missing children incidents in Wales in the 2015-16 financial year related to children in care, who account for fewer than 1% of the child population.

The latest Welsh Government data showed that at March 31, 2016, a total of 5,660 under the age of 18 were in the care of local authorities across the country.

What the experts say

Mr Royston, from The Children’s Society, said: “When a child goes missing it’s often a cry for help so it’s deeply worrying that so many children in care across Wales are feeling that they have no choice but to run away.

“Children in care are particularly vulnerable and research by The Children’s Society and the Church in Wales has found that they are much more likely to go missing repeatedly, which can leave them facing a serious risk of abuse, harm or exploitation on the streets.”

The All-Wales Protocol on Missing Children, issued in June 2011, defines a looked-after child as “missing” if they are absent for more than six hours or after midnight.

In those circumstances the police should automatically be informed, the protocol states.

The document, issued by the Welsh Government, states: “Each incident of a child going missing should be considered serious as the risks are serious each time.”

It adds: “It is also recognised that there are strong links between going missing, child trafficking and forced marriage.”

(Image: South Wales Echo)

Children’s Commissioner Sally Holland said the “right support” was needed to limit the number of missing incidents.

Ms Holland said: “Children who run away from home are also at a greater risk of child sexual exploitation and this is an issue that we work on closely with professionals across Wales to make sure that all agencies can support children in the best way.

“I’m also pleased that the All-Wales Missing Children Protocol, which gives clear guidance to agencies on how to respond to missing incidents, is currently being revised.”

Children in Wales boss Ms Williams added: “It is essential that local authorities take their legal duty as ‘corporate parent’ seriously.

“They need to be as vigilant as any other parent would be to ensure that their children are safe and they know where they are.

“Of course the children and young people also need to feel happy and secure in their placements, whether they be in foster homes or residential settings, and indeed many do due to the quality care given to them.

“It is clearly extremely dangerous for carers not to not know the whereabouts of children in their care because we are acutely aware that these children and young people are particularly targeted by drug dealers, paedophiles, and criminals purely because they believe that they are less likely to have someone looking out for them than if they were in their own family environment.”

She said it was “absolutely incredible” babies were among those who had been reported missing, adding: “There is an urgent need to look behind the figures to understand what the issues were so the safety and wellbeing of children for whom local authorities are the corporate parents is improved.”

(Image: PA)

After seeing our findings an NSPCC Wales spokesman said: “These are worrying statistics that call into question the success of some councils in protecting children in their care.

“Many of these young people are at grave risk of further harm, including sexual and criminal exploitation, so there is an urgent need to understand why this is happening.

“Children in care must be helped to build strong relationships with their carers, with social workers trained to spot the signs of a child at risk of running away.”

Gwent Police are the leaders of a multi-agency and coordinated missing children’s team who review each investigation of a missing child on a daily basis.

Kerry Wade, Gwent Police’s missing children’s team manager, said: “In Gwent we have a team of multi-agency officers who work tirelessly to ensure missing children and their families are continually supported.”

She added that an aftercare service was provided to children who have returned home.

The Children’s Society called for independent debriefs after a missing incident to become a statutory requirement across Wales.

Mr Royston said: “Missing children [should] have the chance to speak to an independent professional who can support them to deal with the issues that made them run away and help stop them from going missing again. No child should feel that no-one cares about them.”

According to a report by society, return interviews or debriefs are not a legal requirement in Wales – unlike in England.

The report, seen exclusively by WalesOnline, states: “When a child goes missing the chance of them experiencing sexual exploitation or being harmed increases.”

Plaid Cymru said our findings were “alarming” and the care looked-after children receive should be “up to standard”.

Llyr Gruffydd, the party’s shadow secretary for education and young people, said: “Local authorities have a duty of care towards these youngsters and we need to be sure that the care they are receiving, often from outside organisations, is up to standard.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We recognise this is happening and are taking action both to tackle the causes and to respond to incidents more effectively.

“This includes working with others to develop a national protocol for children missing from residential care.”

What councils told us

Newport city council said they have “invested heavily” to make sure the numbers of looked after children are “relatively” low.

A council spokesman said: “We are diligent in recording every time a child goes ‘missing’ even if it is for a very short period of time.

“Residential staff will actively look for them including places where they are likely to be but every episode is reported and recorded.”

A Caerphilly council spokesman said: “Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in our care remains of the highest priority.”

A spokesman for Cardiff council , which recorded a total of 11 missing incidents, said: “We are always particularly concerned when children go missing, and we take robust steps to find them, and make sure they are safe.

“The highest total number of looked-after children in our care at any one time during the period specified in the FOI request stood at 749 and in that period 11 children were reported missing.

“However, even one missing child is one too many, and Cardiff council takes a zero-tolerance approach to tackling the issue.

“Whilst we are fully aware that a 15-year-old was missing for nine months it is important to note that this was an exceptional although not unique case.

“The child was in fact never placed in care because the family returned to their home in eastern Europe before any placement could be made – she remained ‘technically’ in care only.

“During that period we were able nevertheless to locate the child through the services of a private detective and assure ourselves that she appeared safe and well and that the in-country authorities had assumed responsibility thereafter.

“As with this example the local authority works closely with partners, including South Wales Police and internationally, where necessary to reduce the risk of children in our care going missing and to ensure the safe return of those who do – whether to their placement, family or other relevant authority.”

Number of ‘missing incidents’ of children in care recorded by local authorities in Wales between January 2015 and May 2017

Blaenau Gwent – ‘Our systems are unable to report this level of detail’

Bridgend – 385

Caerphilly – 21

Cardiff – 11

Carmarthenshire – 2

Ceredigion – 185

Conwy – 43

Denbighshire – 115

Flintshire – 99

Gwynedd – Refused to provide information

Anglesey – Information not held

Merthyr – Refused to provide information

Monmouthshire – Refused to provide information

Neath Port Talbot – Refused to provide information

Newport – 593

Pembrokeshire – 1

Powys – Refused to provide information

RCT – 160

Swansea – Did provide information but later said it was inaccurate

Torfaen – Unable to provide information

Vale of Glamorgan – 73

Wrexham – 7

Total – 1,695