If a child or youth in DFPS conservatorship runs away or is otherwise missing and his or her location is unknown, the caseworker or assigned on-call staff must notify all of the following:

• Supervisor.
• Law enforcement in the jurisdiction where the child went missing.
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at the Report a Missing Child web portal [sic, broken link] for child welfare reports or the 24-hour call center: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
• The designated special investigator regional mailbox and the regional director’s assistant. Include identifying information about the child, the law enforcement report number, and the NCMEC report number.

The caseworker or assigned on-call staff must notify all parties that the child is missing or has run away as described in 6151.3 Notification Requirements and Schedule.

42 U.S.C §671(a)(35)(B)

Texas Family Code §264.123

Young Adults (18–20 Years Old) Missing from Extended Foster Care or Supervised Independent Living Placement

If DFPS discovers that a young adult in an Extended Foster Care or Supervised Independent Living placement is missing or suspected to have been abducted and the young adult’s location is unknown, the caseworker must notify all the following:

• Appropriate law enforcement officials in the jurisdiction where the young adult went missing.
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at the Report a Missing Child web portal [sic, broken link] or the 24-hour call center: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

The caseworker must provide the above notifications immediately or no later than 8 hours after learning the young adult’s location is unknown.

Victims of Labor or Sex Trafficking

The caseworker must inform local law enforcement immediately or no later than 8 hours after the caseworker identifies or suspects that a child, youth, or young adult who is 0–20 years old has become a victim of labor or sex trafficking.