Parents of missing children were given a new tool to help in their search Tuesday.

On the eve of International Missing Children's Day, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection unveiled MissingKids.ca, an online registry allowing parents and the community to search a database of missing children across Canada.

"Every day in Canada children across the country are reported missing to police," said Lianna McDonald, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

"While police receive and take such reports seriously, resources are often limited and families are often left to try and figure out, ‘What should I do next?'"

She said the site offers families a one-stop shop of resources to help find their missing children, including a central place to register a missing child and the ability to request support from a trained caseworker.

McDonald said the database will allow families to take immediate action in searching for their children.

Laurie Odjick, mother of Maisy Odjick who went missing from Maniwaki, Que., three years ago, said she wishes MissingKids.ca existed when her daughter first disappeared.

"I was at a loss," she said. "I didn't know where to turn."

Odjick said being able to type in her missing child's name herself is helpful, adding when her daughter went missing she relied on other websites that took up to two months to update.

The website compiles a digital footprint for each registered missing child, enabling police and parents to track any online use of the child's name.

The search tool pores through open-source websites and can also utilize social media sites like Facebook to track children.

McDonald said the centre quickly realized it was using outdated methods in searching for those kids.

"Children are constantly connected and communicate every day. Parents are at a loss," she said. "We're here to help."

An online billboard-like image for public alerts about missing children is also a feature of the site, as well as providing a downloadable community response plan to help co-ordinate search efforts.

There is also educational information available to help prevent children from going missing.

"MissingKids.ca will be a significant tool in the fight to ensure the safety of our children and bring incidents of missing children to a speedy resolution," said Hon. Rob Nicolson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.