This article reports how an investigation reveals that in 2024, over 2,000 children, including 864 trafficked children (37%) and 1,501 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (13%), disappeared from care under UK local authorities, exposing alarming safeguarding failures. The report warns these vulnerable children face heightened risk of exploitation, re-trafficking, or other harms, and calls on local authorities, police and the government to urgently improve accommodation standards, information-sharing and multi-agency protection to prevent further disappearances.