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Publication - Advice and guidance

National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland 2025

Published
10 September 2025
From
Minister for Victims and Community Safety, +11 more … Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director-General Health and Social Care, Director of Health Workforce, Director of Justice, Director of Mental Health, Director of People, Director of Safer Communities, Director-General Education and Justice, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
Directorate
Justice Directorate, +5 more … Children and Families Directorate, Jobs and Wellbeing Economy Directorate, Mental Health Directorate, People Directorate, Safer Communities Directorate
Topic
Children and families, Communities and third sector, Health and social care, +2 more … Law and order, Public safety and emergencies
ISBN
9781806430826

The National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland (2025) provides updated roles and responsibilities of respective agencies, standardising key practice from a wealth of good practice across Scotland, that aims to help and safeguard those who go missing through multi-agency working.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Return Discussions

A return discussion can provide an opportunity to work with an individual and help to prevent future missing persons episodes. It offers the opportunity to support a person following their return, provide a platform to identify underlying issues and obtain information that could prevent future missing episodes.7 This should occur following and separate to a safe and well check. A more detailed guide to return discussions can be found in the Support section.

Return discussions are key to identifying support that may be necessary to prevent future missing episodes. It is important that we plan for potential missing episodes to limit the time a person is missing and hopefully limit the harm that may occur when they are missing. Three key protocols have been developed and are being used across Scotland - agencies in all local authorities should consider use of these protocols where appropriate. Discussion with Police Scotland National Missing Persons Unit can help to provide more information on these protocols - Missingpersonunit@scotland.police.uk. The three protocols are detailed below.

Contact

Email: contactus@gov.scot

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