Llamau has been running this service since 2015, and we are proud to continue our partnership while continuously improving the support we provide. As leaders in early intervention and prevention, we believe in delivering a high-quality service that makes a real difference in the lives of young people and their families.

How we support missing children and young people

At Llamau, we are committed to ensuring that every child and young person who goes missing is met with care, understanding, and the right support to prevent it from happening again. Through face-to-face debrief interviews, we seek to understand the reasons behind a missing episode and offer tailored support to both the young person and their family. Our approach helps rebuild trust, strengthen relationships, and provide the necessary guidance to reduce the risk of further missing incidents.

Over the past year, our impact has been clear:

• The number of young people and families supported who felt better able to cope and built resilience following support saw a 13% increase from 2022/23 to 2023/24.
• The number of young people and families who positively concluded support when they exited the service also saw a 13% increase over the same period.

We also help young people recognise and navigate the dangers they may have faced while missing, such as child sexual exploitation (CSE), child criminal exploitation (CCE), and other safeguarding risks. Our work in this area has led to a 44% increase in safeguarding referrals made to local authority safeguarding teams from 2022/23 to 2023/24, ensuring that more vulnerable young people receive the protection they need.

Working together to keep young people safe

Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. We work closely with the commissioner, Dyfed-Powys Police, social services, schools, third-sector organisations, and safeguarding multi-agency teams. By embedding our service within the early intervention and prevention framework, we ensure that crucial information is shared effectively to protect young people.

Our team also supports police colleagues in identifying risks and gathering intelligence related to exploitation and other safeguarding concerns. When additional help is needed, we make referrals to the right services to provide further protection and support.

Our preventative approach has had a measurable impact:

• The number of repeat referrals to the service saw an 11% decrease from 2022/23 to 2023/24, demonstrating the effectiveness of our early intervention work.
• The number of young people and families supported who felt better able to cope and built resilience following support increased from 84% to 88%.
• The number of young people and families who positively concluded support when they exited the service also increased from 84% to 88%.

A preventative approach to missing incidents

By focusing on prevention, we aim to:

• Understand and address the reasons young people go missing.
• Identify risks they may have encountered and take steps to keep them safe.
• Share intelligence on locations and individuals that pose a risk to missing children.
• Offer mediation to improve family relationships and reduce repeat missing episodes.
• Connect young people and families with long-term support services to promote stability and wellbeing.

At Llamau, we believe that no child or young person should feel unsafe or unheard. Through our partnership with Dyfed-Powys Police and safeguarding agencies, we are working to ensure that vulnerable young people receive the care and intervention they need as early as possible. Our ongoing commitment to this work is reflected in the positive changes we see year after year.

If you or someone you know needs support, please don’t hesitate to click here and reach out. Together, we can make a difference.