POLICE in North Yorkshire want the public to sign up to an emergency alert intended to find missing children.

Child Rescue Alert is run by the National Crime Agency, the charity Missing People, and the Groupcall technology company, and will see will see texts and emails sent to users after children go missing, with an aim to raise awareness and increase the number of people looking for them.

DCI Allan Harder, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "The initial hours after a child goes missing are crucial. A sighting by a member of the public could lead to the safe recovery of a vulnerable child.

"Although thankfully such incidents are rare in North Yorkshire, and fortunately we have never had to launch a Child Rescue Alert in our area, the simple action of registering could help return a missing child home.When a Child Rescue Alert is issued, it is sent to thousands of people through text, email, app notifications, social media, digital billboards, and local and national media. This means that many more eyes and ears are on the ground, on the lookout for the missing child."

Anyone can register to the service, free of charge, at childrescuealert.org.uk or by texting HERO and your postcode to 85080, but texts cost the network charge.

Meanwhile, a new national helpline run by the NSPCC was announced by the Home Office this weekend, to allow social care workers to highlight failings in local authorities without fear of reprisals.

The whistleblowing helpline has been funded with £500,000 of Government money and will include telephone and email support for anyone afraid to raise concerns within their own organisation, or who have exhausted all avenues with their employers.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: "If an employee thinks a child is in danger or has been failed by their organisation then nothing should stand in the way of them speaking out.

"Too often people with concerns have kept silent because they have been fearful of the consequences for their jobs, and this can have devastating consequences for the children involved. A feature of the child abuse scandals of recent years has been people who said they thought something wasn’t right but were unsure whether they could discuss their concerns confidentially outside their organisation."

Concerns can be raised with the NSPCC on 0800 028 0285 between 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday, by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk or writing to National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH.