The service has a 75 per cent success rate in locating missing persons with about 40 successful cases processed every week.

The most frequent requests are from adult “children” seeking their mother, father or sibling.

National Missing Persons Week (from July to August 5) aims to raise awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons and to help reduce the incidence of missing persons in Australia.

This year’s message “Still waiting for you to come home” focuses on families left behind after the disappearance of a family member.

Emma Ewin, a caseworker at the service, said: “The disappearance of a loved one has a devastating effect on the rest of the family. Unlike other losses, there is no sense of certainty or closure when it comes to missing persons. Responding to this “ambiguous loss” poses many challenges for families and can be an overwhelming and distressing experience.”

An estimated 38,000 people are reported missing in Australia every year. That’s one person every 15 minutes. While the vast majority are found, there are about 1600 long-term (more than six months) missing persons.

The service believes in the importance of family and community. It seeks to restore family relationships by tracing relatives and assisting, where possible, with reunion and reconciliation.

It has been operating in Australia since the 1920s and registers 2000 searches each year. It has networks in more than 100 countries and has located thousands of missing persons across Australia.

“Whatever the outcome, families should know there are options available if their loved ones are missing. If you are unable to find them, we urge you to contact us so we can help you. We encourage anyone who has been disconnected from their family to reach out to them or authorities and let them know you are OK,” Mrs Ewin said.

For more information visit salvos.org.au/familytracing or call 02 9466 3479.