THE number of missing children reported in Oxfordshire is on the rise, according to new figures.

Figures revealed by the county’s social services team showed there were 463 reports of children going missing from April to September this year.

The figure was up from 327 in the same period in 2014.

But a report by county children’s social care boss Jim Leivers said this was not because more children were going missing.

He said: “We are of the view that this increase is attributable to improved reporting and recording of information.

“The increased figures should therefore be seen as a sign of agencies, including schools and supported housing providers, being far more effective and proactive in reporting missing episodes.”

He admitted there had been a “significant increase” in reports, but said the number of children who went missing between 10 and more than 20 times in the six months had gone down. The number of children repeatedly going missing from children’s homes had also gone down.

But Mr Leivers said human trafficking and age assessments needed to be carried out more quickly, and that authorities should consider what the best placement for a child was.

He said: “Feedback has drawn attention to the fact that the protocol is often interpreted differently by our frontline staff and officers, or not fully understood in terms of each other’s duties and powers.”

Mr Leivers said a joint training programme was being developed, which it was hoped would help frontline staff tackle the issue.

At a meeting of a scrutiny committee last night, Labour opposition leader Liz Brighouse said schools with children on reduced timetables needed to do more to stop them going missing.

Also discussed at the committee meeting was a rise in the number of children on child protection plans.

In Oxfordshire 634 children are now subject to one.