1. Safeguarding on Transport Jane Thompson Research & Policy Manager, Railway Children Eleanor Page Safeguarding Analyst, British Transport Police

2. A partnership approach
First discussions between Railway Children and British Transport Police (BTP) officers about missing children and safeguarding in 2013
Gave evidence to the Transport Select Committee on Security on the Railway in 2014
BTP Safeguarding Unit set up in 2015
Worked together to develop the Safeguarding on Transport programme, launched in 2015

3. Safeguarding on Transport programme
Three key elements:
Awareness sessions: increasing transport staff's ability to recognise and respond effectively to vulnerable children and adults
Community hubs: stations where stakeholders commit to work together to protect and safeguard vulnerable children and adults
Projects: direct work with young people identified by BTP as at risk

4. British Transport Police
Children at Risk Overview
2016
4,406
child concern reports
1,288 runaway or missing children
195
suicide risks or with mental health issues
One third of children identified as being at risk had run away from home

5. Runaway and Missing Children
Encounters with BTP Locations
1483 children located at:
368
different stations across the UK 77
other locations e.g. crossings, bridges, on track

6. Manchester Piccadilly St. Pancras International
Runaway and Missing Children
Encounters with BTP 2016 – Top 10 Locations
Manchester Piccadilly
Reading 1 95 =5 35
Leeds
St. Pancras International =2 46 7 34
Birmingham New Street
Euston =2 46 8 33
Glasgow Central
Waterloo 4 41 9 26
Victoria
Preston =5 35 10 25
Rank
Number of children found

7. Runaway and Missing Children
Days and Times of Encounters
No seasonal trends identified
School holidays did not prompt additional instances of runaways/missing children being found using the rail network
Interventions occur at all hours seven days a week all year round

8. Runaway and Missing Children
Looked After Children
27% of looked after children found using the rail network in 2016 were placed outside of their Local Authority, 35% of whom had run away to see family members.
* Children aged under 18 in England as at 31st March 2016

9. Runaway and Missing Children
Case Studies
Home: Care home, Hull
Found: Leeds Station
Trying to reach: Mother, Southport
Found twice in two days attempting this journey

10. Runaway and Missing Children
Child Sexual Exploitation
70% of all children at risk of CSE who were encountered by BTP in 2016 had run away or been reported missing.
More than two thirds of these were looked after children.

11. Runaway and Missing Children
Case Studies
16 year old female at risk of CSE
Found 13 times to date in 2017 at Manchester Piccadilly after running away from her family home in Salford.
Stayed out late and often overnight in the Manchester area and engaged in anti-social behaviour along with other young people from the local area.
Disclosed information about her home circumstances to officers.
Has since been taken into care and not returned to the railways since

12. Runaway and Missing Children
Circumstances of Interactions
Fewer than 10% of missing incidents involved criminal or anti-social behaviour
Children were collected by parents/carers 23% of the time, returned by BTP in half of the instances
68% had been reported missing
20% found within 1-3 hours of being reported missing although 25% were missing for more than 24 hours prior to BTP encounter.

13. Safeguarding on Transport exercise
David is looking at some magazines in one of the shops on
You see David at the concourse at Birmingham New St station. It’s 3.45pm. He’s wearing school uniform and you recognise it as being from a local secondary school.
At 4.40pm you see David again, sitting on a bench in the concourse, using his mobile phone. You get a closer look and estimate his age at around 11 or 12.
At 5.45pm you notice David walk past and you watch him for a minute. He’s staring at the floor and seems to be wandering round a bit aimlessly. He’s not looking at the displayed train times.
David is sitting on a bench again. He’s slumped forward with his head in his hands. It’s 7.30pm.

14. ‘David’ is a true story
David had some learning difficulties and often got into trouble at school and in the community
His mum said she couldn’t cope and wanted no contact with him. He lived with his dad, but was angry and upset about not seeing his mum
He often ran away straight from school and headed into the city centre
When found by BTP at a mainline station he said he felt like harming himself
He received ongoing support from one of our partner projects

15. Next steps for the partnership
Continue to generate greater awareness and improve intelligence sharing
Lobby for safeguarding activities to be embedded within systems, eg station accreditation
Open the first Safeguarding on Transport project on Monday 19th June in North West England (direct work with young people and families, by referral from BTP)
Monitor and evaluate the impact of direct work

16.
btp.police.uk
railwaychildren.org.uk/st