If you need the master record updated, e.g. the autonumber or status indicator, you need to make sure that something is changed on the master record - you need the record status to be set to CHANGED
.
It might be as simple as putting a when-validate-record trigger on the detail block which updates a master record item (e.g. set it to the same value).
However, I'd also look at the code which is setting your master "status" field, and ask why it is not already setting the record status to CHANGED
. Maybe your existing code is in the wrong trigger.