It also looks at the treatment of 16- and 17-year-olds living in supported accommodation and recommends the introduction of universal standards of care across all children's social care settings, including supported accommodation and says children must not share accommodation with adults.

The Committee calls on the Government to regularly publish data on the missing children, explain action being taken to locate them, investigate why they went missing, and report to the Committee every three months until they are found.

committees.parliament.uk/committee/93...

The report raises concerns about the safety and suitability of accommodation and highlights the continuing failure to locate children who went missing after being placed in Home Office-run hotels between 2021 and 2024.

40 children are still missing

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Read the our full news item ➡️ www.ecpat.org.uk/News/ecpat-u...

We particularly welcome the report citing our continued call to implement a comprehensive UK wide strategy on child exploitation, and urging the need for increased funding and capacity for local authorities to play an effective role in preventing child trafficking before harm occurs.

In addition, GRETA calls on the UK to provide secure, appropriate accommodation for trafficked children who are unaccompanied, with strengthened measures to prevent them from going missing and to ensure that child victims be issued residence permits in line with their best interests.

The report covers the issues faced by child victims in migration, particularly those who arrive unaccompanied or are separated from their families by urging the establishment of a legal guardianship system for them in England and Wales -a recommendation made by ECPAT UK for many years.

GRETA urges the UK authorities to take immediate action to strengthen prevention, improve identification and ensure that all child victims receive specialist protection and support.

🚨 Act now to tell the Government you disagree with these proposals by responding to the consultation survey:

www.homeofficesurveys.homeoffice.gov.uk/s/Consultati...

Without safe housing, financial support or trusted professionals to guide them, young people may be pushed into homelessness and destitution. These conditions are widely recognised as key risk factors for exploitation.

The measures would undermine child welfare protections and create a two-tier system of support for care leavers based on immigration status, leaving some of the most vulnerable young people without the support they need at the point they transition into adulthood.