More children missing from care in Greater Manchester than rest of country, outside London

More children have gone missing from care in Greater Manchester than anywhere in the country, outside of London.

One in eight have disappeared, with 130 young people going missing more than once in the space of just one year.

Charities say youngsters in care are extremely vulnerable, because they are more at risk of being exploited.

In Oldham, looked after children have disappeared and average of 13 times each, one of the highest results in the country.

The Office for National Statistics only recently began recording the number of children from care who go missing, meaning the results are currently classed as 'experimental'.

Richard Crellin from The Children's Society has said Councils must do more to keep young people safe:

"There's lots of evidence of criminal gangs, adults who want to exploit children actively targeting children in care because they're so vulnerable, and they can be groomed through gifts, through making them think that they really care about them and they can then manipulate them into doing all sorts of things that are really dangerous for them.

"The Government really needs to bring the national register of missing children forward so that we can see better data about when children are going missing. Police forces need to respond more sensitively to these young people, who are not trouble makers. Ultimately the buck stops with the Local Authority. They are these children's parents and they must do more.

"As them 'Well, why are you going missing? Tell me what's going on'. Listen to those concerns and actively respond to them, so if they are unhappy in the placement what can be done to make it better? And if they are going missing and being exploited, it's not just about having that conversation it's about making sure support is put in place.

"It's really concerning that 10% of children in care are going missing every year and that on average, they're going missing more than five times. This isn't just a one off that happens just occasionally, it's something that is repeated for these young people and it's disappointing more hasn't been done to bring these figures down."

We contacted Manchester City Council and Oldham Council for a response, but have not heard anything back yet.