Missing Child Policy
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Missing Child Policy

Organisation: Revolution Performing Arts Limited

Applies to: After-school club and holiday programme sessions

Date adopted: 31 July 2026

Review date: 31 July 2027

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Fiona Da Silva-Adams

1. Statement of Intent

Revolution Performing Arts Limited is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all children attending our after-school club and holiday programme. While every reasonable step is taken to prevent a child going missing, this policy sets out the procedures staff must follow if a child cannot be accounted for, both on our premises and while off-site on outings, so that the child is found quickly and safely.

2. Aims

  • To minimise the risk of a child going missing through clear supervision, registration, and headcount procedures.
  • To ensure all staff know exactly what to do, in what order, if a child is discovered missing.
  • To ensure parents/carers, the police, and (where required) Ofsted are informed promptly and appropriately.
  • To review every incident so that practice is improved and repeat incidents are prevented.

3. Scope

This policy applies to all staff, volunteers, and students working at Revolution Performing Arts Limited’s after-school club and holiday programme, and covers children in our care on-site, on the journey between school and club, and on off-site outings and trips during the holiday programme.

4. Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, Health and Safety Policy, and Staff Code of Conduct.

5. Prevention

The following measures are in place at all times to reduce the risk of a child going missing:

  • A daily register is taken at the start of every session and updated immediately when a child arrives or leaves.
  • Staff:child ratios are maintained in line with our staffing policy at all times, including during transitions, toileting, and outdoor play.
  • Children are only released to parents/carers or authorised adults named on the child’s registration form; a password is required for anyone unfamiliar to staff.
  • A headcount is carried out at every transition: arrival, before and after outdoor play, before and after meals/snacks, and at the end of the session.
  • Entry and exit doors/gates are supervised or secured during sessions, and staff are briefed on the layout and boundaries of the setting.
  • For off-site outings and the school-collection walk, staff carry an up-to-date register, a fully charged mobile phone, a first aid kit, and emergency contact details for every child.
  • Children on outings are grouped with a named staff member responsible for them, use a buddy system, and wear high-visibility clothing or wristbands where appropriate.
  • Headcounts on outings are taken before departure, on arrival, at regular intervals throughout, before boarding transport, and on return.

6. Procedure if a Child is Found to be Missing on the Premises

If a member of staff becomes aware that a child cannot be accounted for on-site, the following steps must be taken immediately and without delay:

  1. Alert the manager or the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) on duty straight away.
  2. Check the register to confirm which child is missing and when they were last seen.
  3. Begin an immediate, calm and systematic search of the building and grounds, including toilets, cupboards, outdoor areas, and any area a child could access, without causing alarm to other children.
  4. Check with all staff, volunteers, and other children as to when and where the child was last seen.
  5. Check the entrances, exits, and any external gates for signs of how the child may have left the premises.
  6. If the child is not found within 10 minutes of the search beginning, the manager/DSL must telephone the child’s parent/carer to inform them and check whether the child may have made contact or gone home.
  7. If the child is not found and there is any concern for their safety, the police must be contacted without waiting for a fixed time to elapse; call 999 if the child may be in immediate danger, or 101 for a non-emergency missing person report.
  8. One staff member must be nominated to remain by the phone/entrance to liaise with parents, police, and any other services, while the search continues.
  9. Ratios for the remaining children must be maintained at all times; additional staff or the manager should be called in if the search reduces available cover.
  10. A full written record of the incident is completed as soon as possible (see Section 8).

7. Procedure if a Child Goes Missing Off-Site (Outings and the Holiday Programme)

  1. Stop the group immediately and carry out a headcount to confirm which child is missing and when they were last seen.
  2. Nominate one staff member to remain with and supervise the rest of the group at all times.
  3. Nominate a second staff member (or the most senior member of staff present) to retrace the group’s recent route and search the immediate area.
  4. Alert venue staff or security (if applicable) and ask them to assist with the search and to alert their own lost-child procedure.
  5. Contact the manager/DSL at the setting, who will contact the child’s parent/carer.
  6. If the child is not found within a few minutes, or there is any concern for their safety, contact the police immediately (999 for immediate danger, 101 otherwise) — do not wait for a fixed time to elapse before calling.
  7. Do not end the outing or move the group to a new location until the police advise it is safe to do so, unless remaining in place poses its own risk.
  8. A full written record of the incident is completed as soon as possible (see Section 8).

8. Roles and Responsibilities

Manager / Designated Safeguarding Lead (Fiona Da Silva-Adams): takes overall charge of the response, makes the decision to contact the police, liaises with parents/carers and external agencies, and ensures the incident is recorded and reported.

Staff and volunteers: follow the procedures in Sections 6 and 7 without delay, maintain calm and appropriate supervision of other children throughout, and support the written record of events afterwards.

Parents/carers: keep the setting’s emergency contact details up to date, and inform staff promptly of any changes to who may collect their child.

9. Recording, Reporting, and Notification

  • Every incident, however briefly the child was unaccounted for, is recorded on an incident report form noting times, actions taken, staff involved, and outcome.
  • The child’s parent/carer is informed of the full incident on collection, even if the child was found quickly.
  • Where the setting is registered with Ofsted, a notification is made in line with Ofsted’s requirements for serious incidents (normally within 14 days), and the local authority designated officer is informed where required.
  • The setting’s insurer is notified where the incident may give rise to a claim.
  • Records are kept securely in line with the setting’s data protection and record-retention procedures.

10. Debrief and Review

Following any incident, the manager/DSL will hold a debrief with staff involved to identify what happened, why, and what (if anything) should change in supervision, staffing, or procedure. This policy is reviewed annually and after any missing child incident, and all staff receive training on this policy as part of induction and at least annually thereafter.

11. Legal and Regulatory Context

This policy has been written with regard to the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, the requirements of the Ofsted Childcare Register, Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government), and Keeping Children Safe in Education, as applicable to out-of-school settings.

This policy was adopted by Revolution Performing Arts Limited and is available to all staff, volunteers, and parents/carers on request.