Hundreds of kids in care going missing in Glasgow, figures reveal

198 children living in local authority care in Glasgow were reported missing to police in 2018, it has been revealed.

Freedom of Information figures have shown around five calls are made to officers every day across Scotland after young people under the care of councils have vanished.

The data was obtained by the Scottish Conservatives, and shows there were 1935 cases recorded in the country last year.

MSP Maurice Golden said all authorities had to work more closely to ensure young people received care in a safe and secure environment with appropriate supervision.

Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Golden said: “These are very worrying statistics affecting an extremely vulnerable group of young people.

“People don’t run away from loving homes on this scale, so there’s clearly a problem.

“No-one’s pretending there’s an easy answer to this, and many of these cases may have been quickly and satisfactorily resolved.

“But we need to ask why these young people are going missing, and where are they running away too.

“It’s incumbent upon us all, from the Scottish Parliament to agencies on the ground, to work harder to ensure these figures can be reduced substantially in future years."

A statement from Glasgow City Council says, “These figures relate predominantly to young people in residential care where there is a protocol that we automatically notify Police Scotland if they go ‘missing’.

"It’s important these statistics are viewed in that context to prevent them from being misinterpreted. Usually we expect - and find - young people recorded as ‘missing’ to be with relatives or friends.

"It’s also important to acknowledge, the numbers do not reflect that some young people repeatedly go missing – pushing up the total. The numbers also underline our diligence in immediately responding to and reporting ‘missing’ young people incidents.”