Research

The National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) is committed to driving and coordinating national research in relation to missing persons. Understanding why people go missing is essential for identifying preventative strategies and establishing a coordinated approach across the sector to reduce the incidence and impact of missing persons.

The most recent Australian research, Children and Youth Reported Missing from Out of Home Care in Australia, commissioned and funded by the NMPCC focused on the vulnerable group of youth who go missing, predominately from out of home care and was undertaken by Dr Kath McFarlane and The Community Restorative Centre Limited. The report was released by the AFP in March 2021 and demonstrates that young people living in out-of-home care are at the highest risk of going missing and being exposed to harm, exploitation and crime.

The Australian research Missing Persons: Who's at risk? (PDF 860 KB) commissioned and funded by the NMPCC, was undertaken by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC). The report was released by the Honourable Michael Keenan MP, Minister for Justice in November 2017; an interim report Missing Persons in Australia 2008 - 2015 (PDF 370 KB) released in 2016, goes into further details around the statistics relating to missing persons in Australia.