Family separation & reunification
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Stay in a safe place, try the agreed contact and meeting plan, and record the missing person’s last confirmed location and time. Keep children with a trusted caregiver. Use verified Red Cross or humanitarian family-tracing channels if available. Do not publish sensitive personal details or enter danger to search.
Save the essentials.
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Act on immediate danger. Seek qualified help when reachable and safe, but do not make your first protective step depend on a response. This page is general guidance, not a live alert.
Do now.
- 01
Record facts
Write the last confirmed contact, location, time, description and medical needs. Distinguish what you know from rumours. Keep a recent photo privately if available.
- 02
Try agreed channels
Send a short text to the person and the out-of-area contact. Leave your own location and next check-in time. A sent message may not be delivered.
- 03
Use the safe meeting plan
Go to the meeting point only if the route and location are safe. Do not send several people independently into a hazardous area.
- 04
Verify tracing services
Use independently found Red Cross or humanitarian contacts. Check the organisation rather than trusting a forwarded number, and ask how information will be protected.
- 05
Protect children
Never hand a child to an unverified adult promising reunification. Keep a written contact card and involve a trusted caregiver or verified protection service.
PLAN AROUND WHAT YOU HAVE
If help is unavailable.
If networks fail, follow the written reunion plan only where safe and leave a message with the agreed trusted contact. Keep your own location predictable rather than repeatedly moving between unsafe places.
People & practical needs.
Assign a trusted adult to each person who needs assistance. Keep medicines, essential contacts and a workable reunion plan with the group. Make decisions around the least mobile person, not the fastest; avoid splitting the family without a clear, safe way to reconnect.
Keep essentials within reach
Keep essential medicines, safe drinking water, a battery light, footwear, phone power and written contacts accessible. Carry only what you can manage; collecting supplies must not delay escape.
Next steps.
Keep one person coordinating the information so sightings, contacts and dates are not lost. Update the record when someone is found and tell verified tracing services to stop circulating old requests.
Watch for.
Scammers may demand money or identity documents. Do not post full identity numbers, sensitive addresses or real-time movements publicly.
Sources & context.
Osprey Zero combines source-based protective guidance with practical household planning. References provide context, not a promise of assistance. Some standards are U.S.-based; local risks, laws and services differ.
Updated 2026-10-02. Editorially reviewed against linked references; not independently certified by a subject-matter expert. Verify changing conditions through sources safe for you to contact.