Missing Child Policy

⚠️ SAFEGUARDING-CRITICAL POLICY — REQUIRES HUMAN SIGN-OFF BEFORE USE This policy touches child safety. Before it is published or relied upon, Al Fajer Private School leadership must: (1) fill every [NEEDS AFS INPUT] placeholder, (2) name the school's designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and deputy and the staff who hold each role in the procedure below, and (3) formally adopt it with real dates. Nothing in this document has been invented to fill those gaps.

DOCUMENT CONTROL

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Aims
3. Missing Child Procedure (at School)
4. Missing Child Procedure (on a School Trip)
5. Communicating the Outcome
6. Reporting
7. Reintegration and Follow-up
8. Staff Training

1.0 Introduction

1.1 The School has a duty of care to all of its students to provide a safe environment and to ensure their health, safety and welfare at all times.

1.2 This policy should be read in conjunction with the School's other policies including, but not limited to, the Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy, the Attendance & Punctuality Policy, and the Trips, Excursions & Residential Policy.

2.0 Aims

2.1 The aims of the Missing Child Policy are as follows:

• 2.1.1 To ensure the safety of all students.
• 2.1.2 To ensure that we are able to find any child who goes missing, either in School or on an activity outside of School, as quickly as possible.
• 2.1.3 To communicate effectively and within an appropriate timescale with everyone concerned.
• 2.1.4 To follow up incidents and review procedures accordingly.

3.0 Missing Child Procedure (at School)

3.1 If a class teacher or member of staff (including visiting music teachers) has concerns about the whereabouts of a student, they should immediately inform a member of the school leadership team, who will follow the Missing Child Guidance for Action:

• 3.1.1 Contact the Principal or a member of the school leadership team. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: confirm the lead role who coordinates a missing-child response]
• 3.1.2 Establish the last known position of the student via CCTV, school devices, peers, teachers, etc.
• 3.1.3 Check toilets.
• 3.1.4 Check classrooms.
• 3.1.5 Call the school medical room / nurse.
• 3.1.6 Call the front office.
• 3.1.7 Call the library and any specialist rooms.
• 3.1.8 Alert security staff to prevent anyone leaving. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: confirm AFS's site security arrangements]

3.2 After 30 minutes of a child being missing:

• 3.2.1 Establish a central coordination point with telephone and computer access.
• 3.2.2 Attempt to locate any activity on school devices and review CCTV. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: AFS IT support contact]
• 3.2.3 Alert the front office / reception.
• 3.2.4 Alert all appropriate staff.
• 3.2.5 Inform appropriate staff of the central coordination point.
• 3.2.6 Print out large color photographs of the missing student from the student information system. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: AFS student-information system]
• 3.2.7 Engage security, facilities and cleaning staff to sweep the school.
• 3.2.8 Begin a detailed and systematic search of the School.

3.3 After a further 15 minutes of the child being missing:

• 3.3.1 Notify the parents by telephone (NOT by email).

3.4 After a further 15 minutes of the child being missing:

• 3.4.1 Notify the parents that the School will contact the Police.
• 3.4.2 An Arabic-speaking member of staff contacts the Police (999) and reports a missing child.
• 3.4.3 All relevant information about the child is given to the Police.
• 3.4.4 Inform the Principal that the Police have been called.
• 3.4.5 Continue the search until the Police arrive and take over coordination.

4.0 Missing Child Procedure (on a School Trip)

4.1 The member of staff in charge of the group from which the child goes missing will alert the other staff accompanying the trip and/or the other group leaders.

4.2 The staff in charge of all the other groups will check that no other students are missing, and the trip leader will gather the whole group together at a predetermined assembly point.

4.3 The trip leader will inform the school's emergency contact and venue security. The trip leader and security will liaise and organize a thorough search for the missing student. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: designated emergency contact for trips]

4.4 A member of the school leadership team, the designated safeguarding lead (DSL), or the Principal will contact the missing student's parents. If the parents cannot be contacted, they will try the alternative emergency contacts the parents have provided to the School.

4.5 If the child has not been located after 15 minutes, the trip leader will decide when to contact the Police or any other appropriate emergency service.

5.0 Communicating the Outcome

5.1 As soon as the missing child has been located, the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) must be made aware and will then ensure that parents and all staff dealing with the matter are also informed.

6.0 Reporting

6.1 Whether the incident occurs at School or on a trip, the member of staff directly involved will, once the student has been found, write a report detailing:

• 6.1.1 The date and time when the student was reported missing.
• 6.1.2 Which staff were present.
• 6.1.3 When and where the student was last seen.
• 6.1.4 What was taking place at the time.

6.2 A copy of this report is forwarded to the school's operations lead for inclusion in the accident and near-misses record. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: role responsible for incident records]

6.3 Any resulting child-protection concerns must be referred to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL).

7.0 Reintegration and Follow-up

7.1 The student will return to school when everyone supporting the student and their family agrees that it is in the student's best interests to do so. A member of the school's pastoral team — normally the DSL or deputy DSL — will oversee reintegration, seek advice and guidance where needed, and liaise with the student's parents.

7.2 The member of staff overseeing reintegration will take time to speak with the student, on more than one occasion if required, to understand why they went missing and what the School can do to support them. Such support could include, but is not limited to, sessions with the school counselor. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: confirm AFS's counseling/pastoral provision]

8.0 Staff Training

8.1 The Principal and the DSL will remind staff of these procedures at a staff meeting at the start of each academic year.

8.2 The DSL ensures that new staff are familiar with this policy during induction. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: role responsible for staff induction]