Youngsters were reported missing more than 700 times last year in Hackney, new figures show.

In the year 2017/18, 78 children went missing from care 555 times. On top of that, 78 young people went missing from their homes on 162 occasions.

A report into the performance of children’s services last year revealed council chiefs now hold meeting every two weeks to discuss missing children cases. The aim is to ensure young people who frequently go missing are supported and that town hall chiefs are kept abreast of the situations.

In the meetings, officers detail risks relating to each child who is missing and the circumstances as to why they have gone missing.

There was an improvement in the number of children accepting return home interviews after going missing from their homes.

Of the 78, 55, or 81 per cent, spoke to professionals after returning, rising from 72 per cent in 2016/17.