When councils do carry out the return home interviews, few are making the best use of the data, risking a "tick-box exercise".
Just 80 per cent of children are offered an interview, despite it being a statutory requirement for local authorities to do so, according to the research published by The Children's Society in its report First Steps.
In 30 per cent of cases, children decline the offer, but experts believe more can be done to engage with them and improve the rate.
The picture is mixed across the country, with one in five episodes resulting in an interview in some local authority areas, while in others the rate was almost 100 per cent.
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