Missing Children Europe has resumed its short online course “Understanding and Responding to children who run away from home and institutions” on Future Learn. After an evaluation of the first run of the course in early 2022 based on learner feedback and performance, Missing Children Europe, together with RADAR’s European partners, implemented changes aimed at improving the course’s impact and the users’ learning experience. Most significantly, four new languages have been added as downloadable subtitles throughout the entire course; the full content is now available in English, French, German, Polish and Spanish*!
The course aims to advance knowledge on the experiences of children who run away from home or from institutions and to improve the ability of professionals and law enforcement to detect and respond to runaway behaviour in a timely manner. 97% of learners who have completed the course so far agree that their knowledge about why children run away has improved and over 90% state that they have improved knowledge on the resources and practices to use after a child has run away.
The RADAR online course was developed as part of the EU funded RADAR project and consists of four weekly 3-hour modules. The course is targeted at professionals and law enforcement officials who come into contact with children at risk of running away or who have run away in the past, however it is designed to accommodate learners with different backgrounds and knowledge, including families, extended members of society, and students.
The course is available for free on FutureLearn, with the possibility to upgrade and obtain a certificate of completion.
RADAR project partners:
About RADAR
RADAR (Running Away: Drivers – Awareness – Responses) project aims to reframe runaway behaviour as an indicator of underlying adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, mental health problems, or living with a family member with mental health problems and/or addiction. The project will raise awareness on the topic of runaway children through research with the provision of advocacy tools, development of training and toolkits as well as a Mass Open Online Course for professionals in relevant fields.
About Missing Children Europe
Missing Children Europe is the European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children, representing 31 grassroot NGOs in 26 European countries. Missing Children Europe coordinates the network of missing children hotlines available through the 116 000 number. The hotline is currently active in 32 countries in Europe.
For more information contact Eugenia Miyashita, Eugenia.Miyashita@missingchildreneurope.eu
*Dutch, Greek and Portuguese versions will be uploaded in autumn 2022