Using Agency Records To Find Missing Children: A Guide for Law Enforcement; Program Summary

While technological advances and public awareness campaigns can aid in the
recovery of children who are abducted or have run away, they are a poor
substitute for the time-tested techniques of police investigative work, in which
attention to detail may spell the critical difference as to whether a missing child
is found.

Derived from Addressing Confidentiality of Records in Searches for Missing
Children, a study conducted by the American Bar Association and the National
Association of Social Workers, Using Agency Records to Find Missing Children: A Guide for Law Enforcement arms law enforcement officers with
practical information on how to use agency records in the recovery of missing
children. Such records may come from child welfare agencies, schools, medical care providers, and—under special circumstances—from runaway and domestic violence shelters.

The guide addresses mandated and voluntary access to children’s records and
discusses matters related to State and Federal laws, including confidentiality
and record-flagging. The use of a standard parental consent form to expand
access to a child’s records is recommended and described, and a sample form is provided.

A checklist beginning with the initial interview with the reporting parent details
steps that should be taken by police to secure records that may prove useful in a child’s recovery.