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.

Supporting documents

Aim

The Framework aim is to prevent people from going missing and reduce the harms associated with missing when they do.

The Framework maintains four key objectives that are mutually supportive and underpinned by a series of commitments. Through a multi-agency approach nationally and locally, the goal is:

To prevent people going missing.
To respond consistently and appropriately to missing persons episodes.
To provide the best possible support for missing people and their families.
To protect vulnerable people to reduce the risk of harm.

Contact

Email: contactus@gov.scot

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