ABSTRACT
Children are more likely to be reported missing to the police than adults. In the UK, around two-thirds of all missing person reports to the police are for children and young people (NPIA, 2012). Research outside the UK confirms a similarly high number of children reported as missing. For example, American research shows that the great majority are children who have run away from home or care, rather than abductions and similar events (Patterson, 2008). Biehal and Wade (2000) point out that running away from child-care institutions is not new and that there is evidence across the centuries of children running away from charity schools, workhouses and foster placements.
