Missing People seeks to improve support and services for both missing people and those they leave behind through our policy work.

Our policy positions are shaped by our research and evaluation projects as well as day to day contact with families and missing children and adults. We use our evidence base to influence public policy and generate awareness of the missing persons issue by sharing our knowledge and experience with decision makers including politicians, public and private sector representatives and other service providers.

Below is a set of Policy Briefing papers detailing Missing People’s position on specific matters connected to the issue.

Policy issues connected to our Missing Rights Campaign:

 Cross-matching briefing (335.06 kB)

 Guardianship briefing (213.89 kB)

 Victims of Crime briefing (319.21 kB)

 Presumption of Death Act 2013 (417.55 kB)

In November 2011, the Home Office published ‘Missing Children and Adults: A Cross Government Strategy’ which provides a policy framework around missing and links it to a number of other relevant government policies, for example: the UK Human Trafficking Strategy; the Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan; the National Dementia Strategy; No Health Without Mental Health – the strategy for mental health in England; and Positive for Youth: A new approach to cross-government policy for young people aged 13 to 19.

The missing strategy sets out three objectives for the statutory and voluntary sector to collectively deliver:

1. Prevention: reducing the number of people who go missing
2. Protection: reducing the risk of harm to those who go missing
3. Provision: providing missing people and their families with support and guidance

Missing People monitors implementation of the strategy at national and local levels and attends the annual roundtable with partners and stakeholders chaired by Lynn Featherstone the lead Government Minister for missing persons policy.