6 h. ago Beethoven child star Joe Pichler vanished after 'sobbing' 4am call

Joe Pichler made an inconsolable 4am call, left a cryptic note, and was never seen again.

Politics

14 h. ago Missing child star who vanished without trace left cryptic note after 'sobbing' 4am call

Joe Pichler starred in a number of movies, but after being called back home by his family to finish his education, he went missing and has never been found

Events

21 h. ago Teacher banned from classroom as 'sexually motivated' messages to child revealed

In 'sexually motivated' messages and voice notes, Miss Barclay told a child, 'Can't wait for a cuddle', 'you're mine', and 'I will never stop loving you', a Teacher Regulation Agency panel heard

Society

23 h. ago Toddler's body found buried in back garden after child disappeared but was never reported missing

The remains of an 18-month-old boy were found buried in a back garden by police investigating a disappearance. The body had been buried for over a decade, according to the force

Events

24 h. ago Toddler remains found buried in back garden after child disappeared over a decade ago

A toddler's body has been found just 50cm from the surface of the ground in a back garden in Melbourne as police investigated the disappearance of a child who was never reported missing

Events

37 h. ago Female teacher, 43, who bombarded underage schoolgirl with texts saying 'can't wait for a cuddle' and 'you're mine' is struck off

Food technology teacher Miss Lianne Barclay, 43, asked the child if she was 'gay yet?' and told her that she 'like[s] younger ones' because they have 'more stamina'.

Events

62 h. ago Two women arrested after faking child’s disappearance to get out of custody agreement, police say

Cailin Doyle reported her daughter missing, telling authorities the child had run away from home

Events

64 h. ago A unique app is changing the dating game for disabled and chronically ill people

A unique app is changing the dating game for disabled and chronically ill people

Politics

6 d. ago Four major pledges in Keir Starmer's plan to tackle child poverty

Keir Starmer has said Labour's 'moral mission' is to fight child poverty as he launched a blueprint to lift over half a million kids out of poverty by the end of the decade

Politics

6 d. ago Labour announces plans to lift 550,000 children out of poverty – UK politics live

Starmer hails child poverty strategy as a ‘moral mission’ which will include measures to help with childcare and getting families out of temporary housingThere’s a lot of reaction coming in on the plan – some believe the new elements aren’t ambitious enough and it’s just a consolidation of previously announced measures. But here is the full strategy from Keir Starmer’s government, 16 months in, to tackle and reduce the rate of child poverty in the UK.There are around 4.5 million children living in poverty in the UK currently – a historic high. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Sainsbury's shopper left teen girl 'scared and intimidated' as cops share CCTV

Nottinghamshire Police have released an image of a man they want to trace after an incident at Sainsbury's which left a teenage girl feeling scared and vulnerable

Politics

1 week ago How a stranger stopped me from taking my own life as a missing child

A musician and public speaker who disappeared from home multiple times has opened up about the moment a stranger stopped him from taking his own life as a missing child.

Events

2 w. ago Prosecutors will retry man in death of Etan Patz, whose 1979 disappearance spotlighted missing kids

A notorious 1979 missing-child case will go to trial for a third time in New York City

Events

2 w. ago ‘We have to stay calm in high emotion’: What it’s really like to answer a call from a missing child

Every day, helpline workers from Missing People speak to children who have gone missing, their heartbroken loved ones, or those who feel like they want to disappear. The Independent heard from those picking up the phone and helping bring young people back to safety

Events

2 w. ago More then 2,000 trafficked children and lone child asylum seekers missing from UK councils’ care

Charities say vulnerable young people are being failed by local authorities, the police and central governmentMore than 2,000 children who have been trafficked or who arrived in the UK alone to claim asylum disappeared from social services’ care last year, according to freedom of information data shared with the Guardian.The authors of a report, Until Harm Ends, submitted FoI requests to children’s services departments in councils across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland asking for information about trafficked children and those who arrived alone in the UK and claimed asylum, who then went missing after being taken into care. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago More than 2,000 trafficked children and lone child asylum seekers missing from UK councils’ care

Charities say vulnerable young people are being failed by local authorities, the police and central governmentMore than 2,000 children who have been trafficked or who arrived in the UK alone to claim asylum disappeared from social services’ care last year, according to freedom of information data shared with the Guardian.The authors of a report, Until Harm Ends, submitted FoI requests to children’s services departments in councils across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland asking for information about trafficked children and those who arrived alone in the UK and claimed asylum, who then went missing after being taken into care. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Did Bradford shopkeeper fake his own death? Friends left baffled by worker who reappeared five years after he vanished without a trace

Colleagues assumed Ismail Ali, a 'polite' and 'straightforward' 46-year-old, would be back behind the counter at a corner shop in Bradford, the following morning, as he always was.

Economics

3 w. ago ‘Every disappearance is a warning sign’: The important next steps after a missing child is found

With a child reported missing every 2.5 minutes in the UK, it is vital to address the cause behind their disappearance. As part of our SafeCall campaign, The Independent looks at what help is needed to ensure missing children are happy and safe

Events

3 w. ago ‘I reported my child as missing then heard nothing’: The young people who fall through the gaps when they disappear

Charity Missing People warns these children are at particular risk of exploitation and calls for more resources to tackle the crisis of the young people who have disappeared

Events

3 w. ago Voices: Our daughter went missing for 36 hours. The grief has lasted a lifetime

For 36 unbearable hours, we believed our daughter was gone for ever, says Anne Atkins. What we lived through has shaped every moment since

Events