Ruislip Cricket Club Missing Child Policy
ECB Missing Children Guidelines
If a child, for whom your club has responsibility, goes missing, the following guidelines have been devised to clarify the actions to take:
• Ensure other children in your care are looked after appropriately while you
organise a search for the child concerned
• Inform the child’s parents, if they are present at the event, or nominate an
appropriate person to telephone them and advise of the concern. Reassure them
you are doing all you can to locate their child. Remember the child may contact
the parents directly so this action is very important
• Organise all available responsible adults by areas to be searched. It is best to
take a short time to organise the search properly so that all places are searched
fully
• Send searchers immediately to any exits to the venue to ensure the child has not
left, and to any obvious potential danger spots such as nearby lakes or rivers.
• Search the area in which the child has gone missing including changing rooms,
toilets, public and private areas and the club’s grounds
• Request all those searching to report back to a nominated adult at a specific point
• This nominated person should remain at this reference point and make a note
of events, including a detailed physical description of the child. This should include
approximate height, build, hair and eye colour as well as the clothing the child
was wearing and where and when they were last seen. All this will be required by
the police. If the search is unsuccessful you should then contact the police
• A report should go to the police no later than 20 minutes after the child’s
disappearance is noted, even if the search is not complete
• If the police recommend further action before they get involved, follow their
Guidance
• If the police act upon the concern, always be guided by them in any further actions
to take.
• At any stage when the child is located, ensure you inform all adults involved
including the parents, searchers and the police if, by then, they are involved
• All missing child incidents MUST BE notified at the very earliest opportunity
to the Club Welfare Officer, who must immediately notify the County Welfare
Officer, and they must then notify the ECB Safeguarding Team