If your child has been kidnapped

If your child has been kidnapped or is in immediate danger, call 999 straight away.

When starting a public or media campaign for a kidnapped or missing child, official safety and legal protocols must come first.

1. Contact Emergency and Authorities First

Call 999: Dial the emergency services immediately if your child is in immediate danger, is a young child, or is vulnerable to harm. Do not wait 24 hours; there is no waiting period to report a missing child.

Call 101: Use the non-emergency police number if you need to pass on specific background details, passport information, or custody paperwork later on.

Request Specialist Alerts (if applicable): If you suspect your child is being taken abroad or is at risk of imminent border crossing, ask the police to request a port alert via the National Border Targeting Centre.

2. Connect with Support Charities

Missing People: Contact the UK’s dedicated charity for missing children and families by calling or texting 116 000 (free and confidential). They can help coordinate publicity appeals, text-back campaigns, and emotional support.

Childline: If the child is under 18 and has a way to reach out, they can contact Childline at 0800 1111.

3. Coordinate Your Public Campaign with Police

Work with the Police Media Strategy: Do not launch a private social media campaign or distribute flyers without consulting the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) or police family liaison officer. Uncoordinated public posts can sometimes jeopardize active police operations, tip off an abductor, or compromise forensic evidence.

Prepare Key Materials: When police or support agencies ask for campaign assets, have these ready:

A clear, recent photograph of your child.

A detailed description of what they were wearing.

Names and contact details of friends, regular hangouts, or digital accounts.

Preserve Personal Spaces: Avoid cleaning or tidying your child’s room or personal devices, as police may need them for forensic clues, DNA samples, or digital traces.

To help me provide more tailored guidance, could you share:

Has a formal police report already been filed with 999 or 101?

Is this a parental abduction or taken by someone else?

Since you already have a police reference number, your immediate priority is to ensure any public campaign is tightly coordinated with the investigating team so it does not accidentally disrupt their ongoing search.

1. Notify the Police of Your Campaign Plans

Before posting anything publicly, call the police on 101 (or speak directly to your assigned Family Liaison Officer) and quote your reference number.

Tell them you plan to launch a public appeal.

Ask the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) if there are specific details or photos you should or should not share. In sensitive cases, releasing certain information prematurely can compromise active leads or tip off a suspect.

2. Launch an Official Publicity Appeal via Support Charities

Instead of managing a campaign entirely on your own, work with established missing person organizations. They have direct pipelines to the media, transport networks, and billboard companies.

Contact Missing People: Call or text the UK charity Missing People on 116 000 (free and confidential). Give them your police reference number. They can launch a coordinated Publicity Appeal, which can include:

Creating official missing posters for social media.

Triggering localized alerts or community text-backs.

Utilizing digital billboards in key areas (via partnerships with outdoor media companies).

International Parental Abduction: If this is a parental abduction where the child may have been taken out of the UK, immediately contact Reunite International on their advice line at 0116 255 6234. They specialize in international custody disputes and cross-border recovery campaigns.

3. Organize Digital and Community Campaigns Safely

Once the police give you the green light to go public, you can structure your campaign using these steps:

Action Item Best Practices What to Avoid

Social Media Hub Create a dedicated Facebook Page or Instagram account (e.g., “Find [Matthew “). Direct all tips to 101 or 999 rather than your personal inbox. Do not post your personal phone number or address, as this exposes you to scams, trolls, and extortion.

Poster Distribution Use clear, recent, high-resolution photos where your child’s face is fully visible. Print the police reference number and the forces involved clearly at the bottom. Do not use heavily filtered photos, old pictures, or images where their features are obscured.

Media Engagement Ask the police press office to issue a formal media release. Local newspapers and news stations will usually only publish appeals that are verified by the police. Do not pay private investigators or online “fixers” who promise quick results without thoroughly vetting them first.

If  the police have agreed that a public letter could help raise awareness, prompt someone to come forward, or appeal directly to anyone who might know where your child is.

An Open Appeal for the Safe Return of Matthew 

To anyone who can help us bring our child home,

since 2014 My son  went missing our lives changed completely when our [12 ]-year-old [son/child], [Matthew], was taken from [London East Ham..

We are appealing directly to anyone who may have seen [Matthew Moldovan, noticed anything unusual in the area on [from 2014-2026], or who has any piece of information no matter how small or insignificant it might seem to you. Your observation could be the missing piece the police need to bring [him] back to safety.

If you are holding [Matthew ], or if you know where [he] [is], please find it in your heart to do the right thing. Please take [him] to a safe place a hospital, a police station, or a church/Synagogue or contact the authorities immediately.

If you have any information, please contact the police straight away on 101 (or 999 in an emergency) quoting police reference number [757-21/09/2026]. Alternatively, you can contact the charity Missing People on 116 000 or report information anonymously to Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Thank you for keeping [Matthew] in your thoughts and for helping us spread this appeal.

Option 2: A direct letter to your child (for media broadcast)

Sometimes the police or family liaison officers will suggest writing a direct message to your child. This is often published in the news in the hope that, if the child sees a television broadcast or a newspaper, they will know you are looking for them and love them.