Wirral Missing from Home and Child Exploitation Service
Works with young people under 18-years-old across The Wirral who are missing from home or care, or experiencing or at risk of child exploitation.
Young people 10 to 18-years-old | Within a 30-mile radius of the Wirral
Missing from home and care
This service works alongside young people, their families and the police to find out what has caused them to run away and prevent them from running away again in the future. Download our leaflet for parents and carers here.
Help is provided for young people who have run away who are at risk of:
- becoming involved in crime to survive, from stealing to criminal gang involvement
- drug and alcohol misuse
- mental and sexual health issues
- exclusion from school and failure to meet educational milestones.
After each missing episode, a face-to-face interview with the young person is conducted after 48 hours, during which a needs-assessment is conducted. Find out more in our young people’s leaflet.
Child exploitation (CE)
Comprehensive screening and assessment of young people is conducted to identify CE risk and incidence, followed by programmes of intervention which enable young people to reflect upon and recognise CE.
The service offers training to groups of young people (preventative and targeted) as well as professional training to members of the children and young people’s workforce.
Parents, carers and families can find guidance on spotting the signs of CE here (PDF).
Learn more about Catch22’s approach to preventing CSE.
Work with other agencies
Located within Wirral’s multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH), Catch22 works in partnership with the Wirral local authority social care service and Merseyside Police.
Further information
- Visit the Listen to My Story website for further information about CSE for parents and professionals in the Merseyside area
- Go to the Catch22 Stay Safe Facebook page
- Visit the Victim Care Merseyside website.
Referral options for this service
You can't refer yourself
You can't refer family or a friend
You can't refer a client
Referrals for missing young people are received directly from the Police. Referrals for young people at risk of CE are also received from the Police but can also be made via the Gateway process.
Volunteer and placement opportunities
You can't volunteer for this service
You can get a placement at this service