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Make
provision for a national system to safeguard runaway and missing
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children; to make provision
for the collection and reporting of information |
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about runaway and missing
children; to make provision for co-ordination |
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between local authorities
and other bodies; and for connected purposes. |
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Be
it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty,
by and with the advice and |
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consent of the Lords Spiritual
and Temporal, and Commons, in this present |
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Parliament assembled, and
by the authority of the same, as follows:— |
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1 |
“Runaway
and missing children” |
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(1) |
In this Act “runaway
and missing children” means a child or young person |
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under the age of eighteen
who— |
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(a) |
has run away or is staying
away from the person who is responsible for |
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(b) |
has left home due to rejection
by the person who is responsible for that |
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(c) |
has been unlawfully taken
away or is being unlawfully kept away from |
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the person who is responsible
for that child, or |
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2 |
Duty
of Secretary of State in relation to runaway and missing children |
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(1) |
It shall be the duty of the
Secretary of State— |
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(a) |
to promote the establishment
of a national strategy and system to |
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safeguard runaway and missing
children; and |
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(b) |
to make such provision as
the Secretary of State considers appropriate |
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for the collection and reporting
of information about runaway and |
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(2) |
In furtherance of the duty
under subsection (1) the Secretary of State shall— |
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(a) |
make arrangements to facilitate
the collection, retention, organization, |
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reporting and sharing of information
about runaway and missing |
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children held by police forces
and other agencies, and in particular |
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ensure that there is central
co-ordination within the police of |
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information and expert knowledge
about runaway and missing |
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(b) |
ensure that police forces
and other agencies concerned with the welfare |
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of runaway and missing children
have access to persons with expert |
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knowledge of such matters
as the Secretary of State considers |
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(c) |
establish a cross-departmental
body (referred to in this section as “the |
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cross-departmental body”)
to co-ordinate the work of central and local |
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government and the voluntary
sector, and to provide strategic |
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leadership, in relation to
runaway and missing children; and |
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(d) |
ensure that provision is
made for a freephone national telephone |
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helpline for runaway and missing
children. |
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(3) |
The Secretary of State must
make regulations about the cross-departmental |
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(4) |
In particular, regulations
under subsection (3) must provide for the national |
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body to undertake regular
national surveys to establish whether, and to what |
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extent, the number of runaway
and missing children is under-reported. |
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3 |
Duty
of police to follow national guidance |
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(1) |
A chief officer of police
and a police authority must have regard to any national |
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guidance about runaway and
missing children which may be issued by the |
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(2) |
In this section “chief
officer of police” and “police authority” have
the same |
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meaning as in section 101
of the Police Act 1996 (c. 16)
(interpretation). |
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(1) |
The power of the Secretary
of State to make regulations under section 2
is |
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exercisable by statutory
instrument. |
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(2) |
A statutory instrument containing
regulations under section 2
is subject to |
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annulment in pursuance of
a resolution of either House of Parliament. |
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There
shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament— |
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(a) |
any
expenditure under this Act of the Secretary of State, and |
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(b) |
any
increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable out of money
so |
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provided
under any other enactment. |
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6 |
Short
title, commencement and extent |
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(1) |
This Act may be cited as
the Protection of Runaway and Missing Children Act |
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(2) |
This Act shall come into
force at the end of the period of two months beginning |
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with the day on which it
is passed. |
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(3) |
This Act extends to England
and Wales only. |
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