These missing children cases include the following:

• Family abductions (international and domestic). Children abducted or illegally retained by a parent or relative in violation of a legal or verbal custody agreement or other living arrangement.

• Nonfamily abductions. Children abducted by a nonfamily member.

• Runaway children. Children who leave home voluntarily without the knowledge or consent of parents or legal guardians and stay away for at least one night.

• Lost, injured, or otherwise missing children. Children lost, injured, and failing to return home.

Coping with the trauma of having a child who is missing demands courage and determination on the part of parents and other family members, who often feel isolated in facing their fears and frustrations. Through Team H.O.P.E. (Help Offering Parents Empowerment), OJJDP seeks to support parents of missing children. Parents who have undergone similar crises can help other families of missing children to cope with their situation. As Thomas Jefferson observed, "Who then can so softly bind up the wound of another as he who has felt the same wound himself?"

Established in 1998, Team H.O.P.E. helps families of missing children handle the day-to-day issues of coping with holidays, birthdays, and disappearance anniversaries; caring for family members; keeping marriages together; and working with the media and law enforcement. Team H.O.P.E. links victim parents with experienced and trained parent volunteers who have gone through the experience of having a missing child. Because they speak from firsthand experience, these volunteers provide compassion, counsel, and support in ways no other community agency can.

Team H.O.P.E. volunteers include parents, guardians, and siblings.¹ Nominations of potential parent mentors originate from volunteers, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), State Missing Children Clearinghouses, nonprofit organizations dealing with missing children issues, law enforcement officials, and childcare organizations. Nominees have demonstrated the ability to turn their personal tragedies into vital lifelines of support for other families. Potential mentors are screened and trained before becoming Team H.O.P.E. volunteers.

Compassionate Response Training

Team H.O.P.E. has conducted several Compassionate Response (CR) training sessions. Training includes discussion of:

• Issues associated with the range of missing children cases.
• Protocols, training, and other factors affecting law enforcement's response to these cases.
• Guidelines for dealing with families in crisis.
• Techniques for asking questions and listening with compassion.
• Types of support volunteers can offer victim families.
• National, State, and local services, resources, and agencies available to victim families.

Volunteers are also trained to respond to the needs of families of runaway children, because the number of referrals involving endangered runaways has grown. Families of endangered runaways experience additional anguish, as the missing child purportedly left voluntarily. Volunteers help the family to address the root of the problem upon the child's return rather than ignoring it because they fear the child will run away again.²

Our daughter's tumultuous dance with running away began nearly 2 years ago, when she had just turned 14. I felt terribly alone in that certainly no other family had experienced what I was going through. Otherwise, I reasoned, other families, local agencies, or law enforcement would have told me where to go or what book to read. Instead, there was no one to answer the hard questions; no one to tell me what to expect or how to respond. No one seemed to be telling anyone about what was going on. Mostly, I've found out, runaway families are often busy hiding—hiding from rejection, hiding from shame, and hiding from guilt. Hiding because, even when the runaway returns, there is the constant fear that he or she will walk out the door again. And then one day, I grew increasingly frustrated by the roadblocks I kept encountering while searching for my child. I went on another kind of search: to find out what in the world was out there to help us leave-behinds—the parents and her siblings. There had to be something, and I found it—Team H.O.P.E. Through Team H.O.P.E., I learned of ways to help local law enforcement; ways to encourage and console my other children; ways of coping with each difficult day. Most important, I learned that I wasn't alone . . . and that life goes on, even in the midst of tragedy. Through the faith and hope of the Team H.O.P.E. parent volunteers, I learned how to keep my own faith and keep putting one foot in front of the other. —Mother of recovered child and Team H.O.P.E. parent volunteer

Many parents of missing children are unaware of the resources available to them and do not fully understand the role of law enforcement in their cases. CR training sessions provide volunteers with information about Federal, State, and local resources and the array of resources available to assist the families of missing children. Representatives of NCMEC, the FBI, the U.S. Department of State, INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization), the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the National Runaway Switchboard also participate and interact with volunteers. Through this interaction, volunteers gain insight into the services, responses, and protocols of the agencies involved in investigating, locating, and recovering missing children.

Volunteers share their experiences regarding what proved helpful in their own searches, which is often one of the most valuable tools in helping other families. With few exceptions, most families of missing children, including the volunteers, have had little or no contact with families in similar situations. Despite diverse circumstances, these families share similar concerns and often feel alone in coping with the challenges confronting them. The training sessions have benefited not only the families that volunteers serve but the volunteers themselves, affording them the opportunity to share their experiences and frustrations and to learn from the circumstances faced by others.

I cried after watching a movie about a missing boy who ultimately is recovered because I long for the day that I see my daughter get out of a car and run into my arms. At 18, she disappeared from her afterschool job, and we didn't get much help because of her age. She has been missing for 6 years now. After wiping my tears, I called a friend. No matter how sympathetic she tried to be, she couldn't console me. She didn't understand. What does a parent do? Where do we turn when we feel helpless and alone? About 2 years ago, I became part of a group called Team H.O.P.E. So I called one of my Team H.O.P.E. friends and talked to someone who really understood. I started to think back to those first days of my daughter's disappearance. If only there had been someone for me to talk to who really understood what I was going through! Team H.O.P.E. is a lifeline for me and other families of missing children. As a parent volunteer, I get a chance to offer support to other families and make a difference in how they face each day. Some of my families call me their "angel." That sounds funny because helping them helps me to stay sane. Being a part of Team H.O.P.E., I have been able to gain knowledge from the experience of others so that I, in turn, can pass it on to other families that need support. The greatest gift that a parent of a missing child can receive—with the exception of their child's safe return—is knowledge. "Knowledge is power." Team H.O.P.E. helps us to have a sense of control in an out-of-control situation. —Mother of missing child and Team H.O.P.E. volunteer

Sometimes, issues arise that cause emotions to resurface when a volunteer helps another family in crisis. Accordingly, volunteers are trained to deal with such emotions and the grief of families they help. They also are trained to identify indicators of other needs that families may have that require help beyond what Team H.O.P.E. can provide.

Consequently, volunteers are also trained to help families who have reunited with their missing children. In the cases involving Team H.O.P.E. volunteers, many missing children have returned home. Even when the child has been recovered, however, the family often requires additional support. If the child ran away from home, the family must address why the child left home to prevent it from happening again. If the child was abducted by a family member, the family may be concerned about whether another abduction will be attempted. They may also worry about what the child was told while in the abductor's custody. Team H.O.P.E. volunteers are trained to support the family through these trying times. If a child is a chronic runaway, volunteers may advise parents to contact organizations such as ToughLove International (www.toughlove.org). If families fear reabduction, volunteers can coach them in communicating with school and other officials to involve these individuals in efforts to protect their children.

Referrals to Team H.O.P.E.

Families referred to Team H.O.P.E. for support find their way to the project in a variety of ways. Most families (70 percent) connect with Team H.O.P.E. after securing information about the program from NCMEC. Increasingly, families are requesting guidance after visiting Team H.O.P.E.'s Web site, www.teamhope.org. Other families are referred by law enforcement, State Missing Children Clearinghouses, and missing children nonprofit associations.

When my son was missing, I was assisted by law enforcement, missing children's organizations, family, and friends, and yet I felt alone. I felt as though no one understood the pain I was experiencing. I know, from working with parents of missing children, that contact with someone who has walked in your shoes makes a big difference. The parent volunteers give searching parents hope, understanding, and empathy. We help them help themselves. Being a part of Team H.O.P.E. has helped us in our healing process. My son now knows that he is not unique—that what happened to him is happening to thousands of other children. Abduction leaves nasty scars that may never disappear entirely. Working with other families has helped me come to terms with my own experience. It has enabled me to use a negative experience in a positive way by using what I have learned to help others. —Mother of recovered child and Team H.O.P.E. parent volunteer

Approximately 85 percent of the 800 cases referred to Team H.O.P.E. involved endangered runaways; 12 percent, family abductions; 2 percent, lost, injured, or otherwise missing children; 1 percent, nonfamily abductions; and less than 1 percent, missing adults.³ Team H.O.P.E. has worked with the families of more than 1,000 missing children (see table). The average age of the children who were endangered runaways was 14 years; victims of family abductions, 5 years; lost, injured, or missing, 11 years old; and victims of nonfamily abductions, 13 years.

When possible, searching families are paired with mentors who have gone through similar experiences. In matching families with volunteers, project staff take into account such factors as demographics, case type, gender, and the length of time the child has been missing. The volunteer then initiates contact with the requesting family to offer support, resources, and understanding.

Additional Avenues of Help

Team H.O.P.E.'s Web site is an important element of its services. The site provides information about the project, offers legislative updates, and includes links to additional resources. Parents of missing children may also request assistance by e-mailing project staff. The site enables users to access relevant publications such as When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1998). Written by parents of missing children, the Guide extends words of hope and encouragement, offers firsthand advice on what parents should do and what they should expect, and describes the steps that families and law enforcement agencies may take in seeking to find the missing child.

"Echoes of Survival" is, perhaps, the most useful section of the Team H.O.P.E. site. It provides parents of missing children—many of whom may feel more comfortable communicating through the written word—a forum for sharing their experiences.

Conclusion

Team H.O.P.E. regularly receives feedback from participating families. As it enters its third year of operation, Team H.O.P.E. is analyzing referral data and feedback to better assist the families it serves.

Team H.O.P.E. offers parents of missing children encouragement, empowerment, and support. It enables parents to share their knowledge and thus help others. Families of missing children are not the sole beneficiaries of the support provided by Team H.O.P.E. volunteers; law enforcement, social services, and other agencies also have gained valuable insight and assistance in helping families of missing children.

In the collective experience of families of missing children, society has a resource that could positively influence the way in which missing children cases are handled. With the help of this experience, policies and procedures regarding missing children have been strengthened. Examples include the following:

• The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act (42 U.S.C. § 14071 (1994)) encourages States to require individuals convicted of criminal offenses against minors, those convicted of sexually violent offenses, and/or those identified as sexually violent predators to register their current addresses with a State law enforcement agency.

• Jennifer's Law (Pub. L. No. 106-177, 114 Stat. 35 (2000)) requires law enforcement agencies to file complete profiles of deceased unidentified persons in the FBI's NCIC unidentified persons file, which can then be compared against the more widely used missing persons file.

• An Executive Memorandum signed by President Clinton in 1996 directs Federal facilities to post missing person notices in all Federal buildings.

• The Morgan Nick Plan is a cooperative effort of 250 radio stations and law enforcement in Arkansas in which participating stations interrupt programming to broadcast reports of missing children.

All too often, parents of missing children face numerous roadblocks to recovering their children. Examples of such obstacles include a disjointed system response, poor communication between agencies, authorities who treat family abduction as a simple "domestic issue," and gaps in international border controls that make it easier for abductors to take children out of the country. Team H.O.P.E. has collected ideas from volunteers that can help families recover from the crisis of a missing child and break down barriers to ease the process of recovery and reunification.

For Further Information

Association of Missing and Exploited Children's Organizations
781-878-3033

Child Protection Division
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
202-616-3637

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
703-274-3900
800-THE-LOST
www.ncmec.org

National Runaway Switchboard
800-344-2785
www.nrscrisisline.org

Team H.O.P.E.
Public Administration Service
703-629-7148
800-306-6311
www.teamhope.org

Notes

1. Team H.O.P.E. has received requests from parents seeking help for their other children who have been left behind and who are having a difficult time coping. Sibling volunteers help by connecting and sharing experiences with these siblings of missing children.

2. The National Runaway Switchboard, a nonprofit organization offering crisis intervention, advocacy, and educational services, assists Team H.O.P.E. with this training.

3. These data are current as of September 14, 2000. Some cases referred to Team H.O.P.E. involve multiple children (e.g., one case involves six missing children from the same family).

References

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 2000. 1999 Missing Children Statistics. Fact Sheet. Alexandria, VA: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 1998. When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide. Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.