Families of missing Brits abroad to benefit from new support as government partners with charity Missing People

• UK government announces new partnership with charity Missing People to support those with a missing loved one in the UK and abroad.
• Agreement will see Foreign Office directly refer consenting families to services provided by Missing People to ensure they have access to all available support.
• Support on offer will include peer support networks and family events to help manage emotional strain of a loved one going missing.

The families of British people missing abroad are set to receive improved support, as a result of a new partnership between the UK Government and the charity Missing People.

Under the new agreement, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) consular assistance teams will directly refer consenting families they are supporting to Missing People for tailored assistance.

This could include engagement with trained family support teams, as well as a host of other family-centred services and events designed to help manage the emotional burden of a loved one going missing.

The partnership will ensure more people can access Missing People’s vital services and will mean families whose loved ones are missing in another country will be able to more easily access the support they need, when they need it the most.  

FCDO Minister for Consular, Stephen Doughty MP, said:

Not knowing where a loved one is, or what has happened to them, is a truly awful experience for any family, and when they have gone missing in a distant part of the world, accessing support can be even harder. 

We are committed to strengthening our support for British people with a modern consular service that ensures they receive compassionate and professional support at every step. 

As part of that, our new partnership with Missing People will help provide enhanced support to families and friends in some of their most difficult moments.

The FCDO deals with hundreds of cases a year of people going missing abroad and can help families contact and arrange meetings with local authorities as well as helping to keep them informed of new developments. 

Missing People bolsters that support by working directly with the family and friends of the missing person. They support around 10,000 people affected each year and already work with several departments across National and devolved governments. 

Director of Services at Missing People, Sophie Lapham, said:

When someone goes missing abroad, families can find themselves facing enormous uncertainty and distress. They are forced to navigate unfamiliar systems and language barriers, often from thousands of miles away. We are delighted to be partnering with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to ensure more families can access support during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

For more than 30 years, Missing People has been supporting missing people, as well as families and friends living through the trauma of a disappearance. This partnership will strengthen our ability to work alongside the FCDO, offering missing people and families hope, guidance and a trusted source of support for as long as they need.

The new partnership comes as part of the overall strengthening of approach to consular services as the UK Government works to ensure it provides British nationals with support when they need it most.