Hopefully no child will ever go missing from the club. If they do,  most children are found within a few minutes of their disappearance. However, if a child for whom the club has responsibility goes missing, the following actions that should be taken:

The Lead Coach present is to:

• Ensure the other young people in your care are looked after appropriately while you organise a search for the young person concerned.
• Inform the young person’s parents if they are present at the event or nominate an appropriate person to telephone them and advise them of the concern. Reassure them you are doing all you can to locate their child.
• Either the parent/guardian or the club should try and contact the child on their mobile phone (if applicable).
• 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.
• Search the area in which the child has gone missing including changing rooms, toilets, public and private areas and grounds.
• Request all those searching report back to you or a nominated adult at a specific point.
• This nominated person should also be making a note of the events, including
• detailing a physical description of the young person including approx. height, build, hair and eye colour as well as clothing he/she was wearing and where he/she was last seen, as this will be required by the police.
• If the search is unsuccessful, you must then report the concern to the police.
• A REPORT SHOULD GO TO THE POLICE NO LATER THAN 30 MINUTES AFTER THE YOUNG PERSON’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, be guided by them in any further actions to take.
• When the young person is located, ensure that you inform all adults involved including the parents.