Research led by Professor Hester Parr of the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences is to contribute to a new training initiative currently under development by Missing People, in partnership with Shelter Scotland and Barnardo’s Scotland. The training aims to provide a specific communication toolkit to professionals involved in helping returned missing people. The initiative has received over £59,000 of funding from the Scottish Government.

This follows the publication of the National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland, which emphasises the need to improve the quality of discussions with missing people who have returned. The free one-day training workshops will highlight the central role that these discussions play in preventing people from falling into patterns of frequently going missing, and will improve the quality of the discussions that take place.

There are around 100 reports of missing people in Scotland every day, with many of these relating to a person who has been missing on previous occasions.  

Research-led, people-centred

Professor Hester Parr said: “I am sure this training will provide professionals with the help they need to respond effectively to returned missing people. The University of Glasgow is delighted to be part of a research-led, people-centred training innovation, which will make sure it is well targeted to meet the needs of Scotland’s most vulnerable people. Scotland will benefit from this innovative training, offered in partnership with sector leaders in supporting missing people. The University of Glasgow is committed to making sure that the training is research-led, evidence-based and well targeted to help meet the needs of busy professionals who support society's most vulnerable people.”

Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs at the Scottish Government, Annabelle Ewing, said “The Scottish Government is very pleased to support this partnership to develop training to assist people returning from a period of being missing. The training will deliver key commitments in the National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland, published earlier this year, by helping to prevent people repeatedly going missing through appropriate intervention and support.”

First published: 20 October 2017

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