diff --git a/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/focus_traversal.dart b/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/focus_traversal.dart
index 7fb6c72eac0..f288fd5e866 100644
--- a/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/focus_traversal.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/focus_traversal.dart
@@ -311,6 +311,15 @@ mixin DirectionalFocusTraversalPolicyMixin on FocusTraversalPolicy {
   bool _popPolicyDataIfNeeded(TraversalDirection direction, FocusScopeNode nearestScope, FocusNode focusedChild) {
     final _DirectionalPolicyData policyData = _policyData[nearestScope];
     if (policyData != null && policyData.history.isNotEmpty && policyData.history.first.direction != direction) {
+      if (policyData.history.last.node.parent == null) {
+        // If a node has been removed from the tree, then we should stop
+        // referencing it and reset the scope data so that we don't try and
+        // request focus on it. This can happen in slivers where the rendered node
+        // has been unmounted. This has the side effect that hysteresis might not
+        // be avoided when items that go off screen get unmounted.
+        invalidateScopeData(nearestScope);
+        return false;
+      }
       switch (direction) {
         case TraversalDirection.down:
         case TraversalDirection.up:
diff --git a/packages/flutter/test/widgets/focus_traversal_test.dart b/packages/flutter/test/widgets/focus_traversal_test.dart
index 693ffb1e688..deddeaac6a5 100644
--- a/packages/flutter/test/widgets/focus_traversal_test.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter/test/widgets/focus_traversal_test.dart
@@ -799,5 +799,65 @@ void main() {
       expect(policy.findFirstFocusInDirection(scope, TraversalDirection.left), equals(upperRightNode));
       expect(policy.findFirstFocusInDirection(scope, TraversalDirection.right), equals(upperLeftNode));
     });
+    testWidgets('Can find focus when policy data dirty', (WidgetTester tester) async {
+      final FocusNode focusTop = FocusNode(debugLabel: 'top');
+      final FocusNode focusCenter = FocusNode(debugLabel: 'center');
+      final FocusNode focusBottom = FocusNode(debugLabel: 'bottom');
+
+      final FocusTraversalPolicy policy = ReadingOrderTraversalPolicy();
+      await tester.pumpWidget(DefaultFocusTraversal(
+        policy: policy,
+        child: FocusScope(
+          debugLabel: 'Scope',
+          child: Column(
+            children: <Widget>[
+              Focus(
+                  focusNode: focusTop,
+                  child: Container(width: 100, height: 100)),
+              Focus(
+                  focusNode: focusCenter,
+                  child: Container(width: 100, height: 100)),
+              Focus(
+                  focusNode: focusBottom,
+                  child: Container(width: 100, height: 100)),
+            ],
+          ),
+        ),
+      ));
+
+      focusTop.requestFocus();
+      final FocusNode scope = focusTop.enclosingScope;
+
+      scope.focusInDirection(TraversalDirection.down);
+      scope.focusInDirection(TraversalDirection.down);
+
+      await tester.pump();
+      expect(focusBottom.hasFocus, isTrue);
+
+      // Remove center focus node.
+      await tester.pumpWidget(DefaultFocusTraversal(
+        policy: policy,
+        child: FocusScope(
+          debugLabel: 'Scope',
+          child: Column(
+            children: <Widget>[
+              Focus(
+                  focusNode: focusTop,
+                  child: Container(width: 100, height: 100)),
+              Focus(
+                  focusNode: focusBottom,
+                  child: Container(width: 100, height: 100)),
+            ],
+          ),
+        ),
+      ));
+
+      expect(focusBottom.hasFocus, isTrue);
+      scope.focusInDirection(TraversalDirection.up);
+      await tester.pump();
+
+      expect(focusCenter.hasFocus, isFalse);
+      expect(focusTop.hasFocus, isTrue);
+    });
   });
 }