Return home interviews with children who have been missing
An exploratory analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21178294 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laura Boulton (0000-0001-5623-8884, Liverpool John Moores University), Jessica Phoenix (0000-0001-5138-9907, Liverpool John Moores University, corresponding author), Eric Halford (0000-0002-3913-1679, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani - Dubai Campus), Aiden Sidebottom (0000-0003-0534-2715, University College London) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Police Practice and Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1561-4263 • E-ISSN: 1477-271X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15614263.2022.2092480 |
| OpenAlex | W4283385566 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
| References cited | 21 |
Responding to reports of missing children is an everyday occurrence in many police agencies, and a significant source of police demand. In England, there is a statutory requirement that all those under the age of 18 be offered a return home interview (RHI) within 72 hours of returning from a missing episode. The main purpose of an RHI is to better understand the reasons why a young person went missing and, where necessary, put measures in place to safeguard that young person and reduce the likelihood of them going missing again. Although widely practiced in England, there is currently limited research on the conduct of and information elicited from RHIs. In an attempt to help fill this research gap, this article reports the findings of an exploratory analysis of 113 RHIs carried out in one police force area in England. Findings indicate that 42% (n = 48) of the sampled RHIs occurred within the required 72-hour timeframe. Absent or incomplete information was common, particularly in relation to the presence and types of vulnerabilities associated with missing children. In terms of those interviewed, nearly half of the interviewees did not consider themselves to be missing. Moreover, many exhibited a high prevalence of mental health concerns, conflict at home and drug and alcohol use. The implications of the findings for safeguarding children and preventing missing incidents are discussed
Mental health · Missing data · Political science · Psychiatry · Safeguarding · Statutory law · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Nursing · Psychology
‘Wanting to escape’
Police Risk and Threat Assessments
Analysing the Profile of Missing Persons in Greece
Mapping the evidence on What works for the police to effectively manage missing persons cases
What works in improving inter-agency responses to missing children investigations
Classifying missing persons cases
Missing children, adolescents and young adults
Is there an ideal missing person? A theoretical case study using long-term unresolved missing persons cases
Too risky yet not risky enough
Can harm be predicted? On the development and validation of a statistical model for predicting harm in missing person incidents
Can police data predict harm? Evaluating risk in missing person cases using a Harm Vulnerability Framework
The Measurement of Observer Agreement for Categorical Data
Further evidence on the extent and time course of repeat missing incidents involving children
The Role of Return Home Welfare Interviews in Responding to the Needs of Young Runaways
A 10 year follow-up study of young people reported missing to the police for the first time in 2005
The blue light social services? Responding to repeat reports to the police of people missing from institutional locations
Missing children
Intercoder Reliability in Qualitative Research
| Citations per year | 5.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |