The number of children going missing from care in Bucks has rocketed over the last five years.

Figures obtained following a Freedom of Information request show 66 ‘looked after’ children went missing in the tax year 2017/18 compared with just five in 2013/14.

Concerning statistics suggest only 64 of the 66 children who went missing last year have been recorded as found – however Bucks County Council failed to explain the differing figures before going to print.

The most recent figures show a decline following 2016/17 – during which 77 children went missing from council care.

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BCC’s children’s services have come under fire this year after they were once again rated as “inadequate” by Ofsted in January.

A Government commissioner was subsequently appointed to assess the future of the failing services – and will decide if they need to be handed over to Government.

However the rising number of children going missing from care does not necessarily reflect the quality of care provided by councils, according to Become – a charity which supports children in care.

Public affairs manager at the charity, Dominic Stevenson, said: “Some children in care feel that decisions are taken about them, and changes to their lives are made for them not with them. 

“Running away can often be a way that young people try to regain control of their lives when they feel that all control has been taken away.

"This can sometimes manifest itself in negative behaviour such as taking drugs, but it can often be because a young person wants to go home, see their friends, and other such things that their peers outside of the care system can do with ease.

“However, we do believe that local authorities working more closely with children to explain what is happening to them, and to engage them in their own care plan, could be one way of reducing their need to regain control of their lives by going missing from care.”

Teenagers dominate the statistics – as 29 ‘looked after’ young people who went missing last year were aged from 16 to 17, while 26 were aged 10 to 15.

It is understood the rise in cases is partly down to improved recording of incidents – so data collected in earlier years may not necessarily reflect true numbers.