Grant funding to help repeat missing children in Doncaster

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner, has approved nearly £10,000 to Doncaster Children’s Services Trust assertive outreach pilot.

The scheme is designed to support pilot activity in helping vulnerable children in communities across Doncaster.

Service staff will focus on ‘repeat or high-risk missing looked-after children’, as well as other young people who are missing and at risk of exploitation.

Outreach workers will aim to target areas where young people are known to go when ‘missing’ and build relationships with those who have regular missing episodes.

There will be a team of two assertive outreach workers who will focus on peak times and days of highest missing episodes, but will also aim to ‘respond flexibly’ across the Doncaster area as required.

The grant will be used to support pilot activity in Doncaster which will shape future delivery for the trust.

Reports show evidence from this pilot and from the other funded assertive outreach pilot in Sheffield will help shape future services in Doncaster.

The activity will contribute to ‘primary and secondary prevention activity’.

Rachel Staniforth, head of the South Yorkshire violence reduction unit, said: “There are staff already embedded in this work. This grant will be an extension and addition to their work.

“Utilising the existing staff means they will have access to joint systems so they are more efficient and effective, not being able to understand and use the systems would make the work unfeasible.”