Care Leavers' Association

CLA Press Release 19/11/09: Missing without a trace: 145 young people from care go missing in the last year

A survey of 202 local authorities across the UK, conducted by the Care Leavers’ Association (CLA), revealed that, over the last year, at least 145 children and young people have gone missing from care, with the local authorities having no knowledge of their whereabouts, over the last year.

The survey, undertaken using the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that:

• At least 40 local authorities have had children and young people go missing without a trace.

• A further six local authorities could not respond to the survey because they keep no central record of all children who have gone missing from their care despite a government emphasis on recording this figure.

• Ninety per cent of those missing are unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), which raises concerns that many may have become victims of trafficking.

• More than one in ten of those who are missing are children

The CLA has received funding this year to run a project with young people in care and young care leavers from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds. The project will include an event in Manchester in February 2010, which will allow young people to speak about the issues that are important to them and express their opinions about the changes they think should be made. Following the event, there will be a report of the young people’s views. We also hope to get a group of young people together to take part in 3-4 follow-up sessions to take forward issues raised by young people during the day.

There will be a keep in touch event for care leavers in Glasgow on Monday 7 December, from 7pm -9pm. This is a chance to meet up with other care leavers, chat, share experiences and also find out more about the Care Leavers' Association.

CLA Press Release: 15 November 2009

Child migrants: UK Government needs to follow Australian government lead and  offer apology at home as well as abroad says care leavers charity.

• The proposed government apology to child migrants from the UK is welcome but those abused in care in the UK care also need recognition.
• A new website has been launched to help Australian child migrants and others in care as children to reconnect with people from their past.

 Responding to the announcement that Gordon Brown is to offer an apology to adults forcibly migrated to commonwealth countries as children, and to Australian Prime-minister Kevin Rudd’s forthcoming apology to all those abused in care as children in Australia, Will McMahon, Chair of the UK-based Care Leavers’ Association (1) said: 

‘On November 16^th Kevin Rudd is to offer an apology to all adults who suffered abuse in care in Australia.  The Care Leavers’ Association expects Gordon Brown to extend his New Year apology in the same way and to offer an apology to all care leavers who experienced abuse while in care in the UK. There is a need for an independent inquiry so that, like Australia, the UK can acknowledge and offer an apology for the events that took place.’ (2)