Outing safety plan for a child who elopes (free printable form)

Elopement is common. In a large survey published in Pediatrics, 49% of parents of autistic children said their child had tried to elope at least once after age four, and 26% said their child had been missing long enough to cause concern. Of the children who went missing, 65% were in danger of traffic injury and 24% were in danger of drowning.^[1]

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) says elopement can happen in any environment, at any time of day, and from the care of any person. High stress, highly social and transitional events are often triggers, and crowds make it easier because there are fewer secured doors and less clear sight.^[2] An outing is usually all of those at once:

• A new place. Your child does not know the layout, and neither may you. Exits, water and roads are wherever they happen to be.
• Transitions. Getting out of the car, leaving one exhibit for the next, and leaving at the end are all moments when attention is split.
• Crowds and noise. A busy store, a party or a field trip group blocks your line of sight for a few seconds at a time.
• Many adults, no one in charge. When several adults are present, each can assume another is watching.

NCMEC also notes that children on the autism spectrum may head toward water, roads, trains or other places of special interest, and that drowning most often happens within a few hundred feet to half a mile of where the child went missing, and within minutes.^[2] That is why the form asks where the nearest water and roads are before you arrive.

Most of the safety on an outing is decided at home, before anyone is in the car.

• Name the adult who watches. Write down who has your child first and who takes over when they need a break. If the answer is “everyone”, nobody is really watching. Hand over out loud: “You have her now.”
• Take a photo today. A clear, full length photo on your phone just before you leave, showing today’s clothes, shoes and hat. NCMEC recommends having a current photo of your child ready for law enforcement.^[3]
• Write down what they are wearing. Colours and shoes are what searchers look for first. It takes ten words.
• Put ID on your child. Their name and your mobile number inside a pocket, on a label or on a wristband. Keep your home address off anything a stranger can read.
• Look at the map. Before you arrive, check where the nearest pond, pool, fountain or creek is, and the nearest busy road, parking lot or railway. NCMEC suggests knowing the water, highways and landmarks near the places your child spends time.^[3]
• Pack for a break. Ear defenders or headphones, a favourite snack or object, and a plan for where you can step away from the noise.

When you arrive, stop for two minutes before your child is let loose. Do it together if you can, so it becomes part of the routine.

• Find the exits. Doors, gates, gaps in fences and the parking lot. Note which ones your child could reach before you could.
• Find the water. Confirm what you saw on the map. A decorative pond, fountain or drainage ditch counts.
• Pick a meeting spot. One place everyone can see and name: a particular bench, a sign, the car. Walk to it with your child and tell every adult in the group.
• Pick a quiet place. Somewhere you can go before your child is overwhelmed: the car, a quiet corner, a bench away from the crowd.
• Agree check-ins. Holding hands in crowds and car parks, and a head count at every move from one area to the next.

The National Autism Association advises staying extra vigilant during transitions, parties, vacations, visits and times of noise or commotion.^[4] On most outings, the riskiest moments are arriving and leaving, so keep hands held from the car door to the entrance and back.

When someone else is taking your child out, the plan matters even more, because they may not know what you know.

• Ask the school who is assigned to your child. By name, and who takes over at lunch or on the bus. Ask how handovers are done.
• Ask where they are going. Is there water, a road or a railway nearby? What is the plan for the busiest part of the day?
• Ask what staff do first if your child leaves. NCMEC suggests making a plan with your child’s school for the event they leave, and notes that wandering can be addressed in your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).^[3]
• Hand over a filled-in form. Give the lead adult a copy of the outing plan with the “about our child” section done: how they communicate, whether they answer to their name, what upsets them and what calms them.

The same applies to grandparents, sitters and other families. Our caregiver briefing card covers the things a new adult needs to know in one page, and our school safety plan helps with the conversation at school.

NCMEC’s advice is to call 911 immediately and search the surrounding area, especially bodies of water, because time is of the essence. Once 911 is called, you can also contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).^[3] The National Autism Association’s rule for any missing person with autism is the same: call 911 and search water first.^[4] Our guide to water safety and wandering explains why.

Then:

1. Give responders the photo you took today and say what your child is wearing.
2. Tell them how your child communicates. NCMEC notes some children may not speak, may not respond to their name, and may hide from searchers or noise.^[2]
3. Tell them the places on site your child is drawn to: water, trains, vehicles, a favourite shop.
4. Keep one adult at the meeting spot in case your child comes back.

Our free first 10 minutes checklist sets out the same order on one page.