Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. If
you have a processing request, please ensure you quote that reference in
your emails to us.

DEAR Elijah Mikaelson

Freedom of information request - FOI/7403

Subject: Missing Looked After Children

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days, subject to the application of
any exemptions. Where consideration is being given to exemptions the 20
working day timescale may be extended to a period considered reasonable
depending on the nature and circumstances of your request. In such cases
you will be notified and, where possible, a revised time-scale will be
indicated. In all cases we shall attempt to deal with your request at the
earliest opportunity.

If we are unable to provide you with the information requested we will
notify you of this together with the reason(s) why, and details of how you
may appeal.

Please note that the directorate team may contact you for further
information where we believe that the request is not significantly clear
for us to respond fully. 

Kind Regard

Information Management Team

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

7th Floor, Zone B

Bernard Weatherill House

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

Dear Elijah Mikaelson

Request FOI/7403

Freedom of Information Request

Your request has been considered under the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act. Please accept our apologies for the lengthy delay in
responding to you. Specifically, you have requested the following
information:

I am currently conducting research to obtain accurate statistics regarding
the number of looked-after children who are currently missing in the UK.

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act
2000. I would like to request the following information:

1. What is the current number of looked-after children who are missing
from your local authority?

7.

2. Could you provide information on the duration of each missing child's
absence as of the date of this request?

3. Among the looked after children currently missing, how many have been
absent for more than 28 days?

4. Of the looked after children who are currently missing, how many are
believed to have absconded?

5. How many of the currently missing looked after children are suspected
to have been abducted or involved with a third party?

6. Of the looked after children who are missing, how many are missing from
foster homes in comparison to secure units, children's homes and other
local authority provisions?

For questions 2 – 6 - the Council is able to inform you that it does hold
the requested information.  However, the Council considers that
individuals could potentially be identified from the very low numbers
(less than 5) and that such identification would constitute a breach of
one of the principles set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and is
therefore exempt under section 40(2) of the Act. Disclosure of this
information is likely to lead to a breach of the provisions of the DPA as
we do not have the consent of the data subject to disclose the information
to you neither do we consider it reasonable in all the circumstances to
disclose the information to you without the consent of the data subject as
we owe the data subject a duty of confidentiality.

It is important to remember that when information is released under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000, it is considered released to the wider
public. Any such disclosure of personal information would not be compliant
with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)

To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:

[1]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)

If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Freedom of Information Act you may ask for an internal review. 
This should be submitted to us within 40 working days of this response. 
You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint by:

Email:        [Croydon Borough Council request email]

Writing:     Information Team

London Borough of Croydon
Bernard Weatherill House
3^rd Floor - Zone E
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA

Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire   SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely 

Croydon Council

References

Visible links
1. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/