Missing Children, State Care, and Child Sex Trafficking: Engaging the Judiciary in Building a Collaborative Response

This technical assistance brief is a publication of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®. Juvenile and family court judges have an enormous responsibility for the children and youth under their court’s jurisdiction. When these already vulnerable children run away or go missing from a placement, the stakes are very high. Every moment counts and judges can take action to prevent exploitation by acting swiftly and collaboratively. This technical assistance brief is intended to educate judges about steps to be taken to assist in the location and recovery efforts for children missing from care by ensuring the legal guardians, social workers, and child advocates within child-serving agencies are aware of and engage assistance from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on behalf of these endangered missing children. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children along with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges stand ready to engage in any further conversations with members of the judiciary about the development of model policies and procedures based on the recommendations in this brief. We look forward to providing ongoing technical assistance, as requested.