Missing children · with MCSC
Every child deserves a safe place
What to do in the first hour, how AMBER Alerts are issued, and where the official case information lives. We link to police and to the Missing Children Society of Canada — we never publish or alter a case file ourselves.
If a child is missing right now, call 9-1-1 immediately. You do not have to wait 24 hours — police want to hear from you in the first minutes.
The first hour
What to do when a child goes missing
The first hour matters most. Work through these in order — and do not wait to see whether the child comes home on their own.
- Call 9-1-1 immediately. Tell the dispatcher the child’s name, age, height, weight, clothing, where they were last seen and when. No waiting period is required in Canada — report right away.
- Search the immediate area while police are on their way: the home first (closets, under beds, vehicles, sheds), then the yard and neighbouring properties. Young children often hide when they hear adults are worried.
- Find a recent photo and note any distinguishing features, medical needs, and the phone number and social accounts the child uses. Police will ask for these.
- Call the Missing Children Society of Canada at 1-800-661-6160 once you have called police. MCSC supports the police search and supports your family through it.
- Do not post the child’s details publicly until police advise you to. They coordinate any public alert so the information released is accurate and actually helpful.
- Keep your phone free and ask a trusted person to sit with you, so someone is always reachable by police.
Active cases
Children police are asking the public to help find
We do not republish case files — and we will not invent one
Every active missing-child case in Canada is published and kept current by the investigating police service, by the Missing Children Society of Canada, and by the RCMP’s National Centre for Missing Persons. Those are the only sources worth acting on, so we send you straight to them rather than keeping a second, staler copy here.
If you have information about a missing child, call 9-1-1 — or submit a tip and we will forward it to the investigating service.
Our partner · 40 years in 2026
Missing Children Society of Canada
In 2026, the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) marks 40 years of working alongside police, families and communities to help return missing children to safe places. While technology and investigations have evolved significantly over four decades, the need for rapid, coordinated response has never changed.
“If you are not in a safe place, life changes.”
— Amanda Pick, CEO, Missing Children Society of Canada
What MCSC does
Search Support
MCSC distributes targeted alerts through its national network to support police in missing child cases that fall outside AMBER Alert criteria — helping to close the critical gap in public response.
Missing Child Case Support
MCSC works with federal, municipal and international police, government and non-government agencies in the search for missing children in various cases.
Family Support
MCSC helps families cope with the stress of a missing child — during an investigation and through reunification — by helping them gain access to local agencies and resources.
Travel Support
MCSC is proud to partner with WestJet, who provides the gift of flights to help missing children. Some restrictions apply.
Explainer
How AMBER Alerts work
An AMBER Alert is issued by police — never by the public or the media — when they believe a child has been abducted and is in danger, and there is enough descriptive information about the child, the abductor or a vehicle for the public to be able to help.
Alerts are pushed through Canada’s Alert Ready system to television, radio and compatible mobile phones in the affected area. If you receive one, read it fully, keep your phone on, and call 9-1-1 if you see the child, suspect or vehicle described. Do not approach or follow anyone.
Most missing-child cases do not meet AMBER Alert criteria. That is the gap MCSC’s Search Support program fills, distributing targeted alerts through its national network so the public can still help.
Official sources
Canada’s MissingThe national public website for missing persons and unidentified remains, run by the RCMP’s National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains. MCSC active casesSearch alerts and case pages published by the Missing Children Society of Canada. Kids Help Phone · 1-800-668-686824/7 confidential support for young people who need someone to talk to.Know something about a missing child?
Call 9-1-1 if you can see the child now. Otherwise, submit an anonymous tip and we forward it to the investigating police service.