Missing People

As well as actively searching for missing people and supporting those who are trying to find them, Missing People offer three other services; Runaway Helpline, Message Home and Identification.

Runaway Helpline is a 24 hour confidential helpline for runaways, offering help and advice to young people who have run away from home or care, or who have been forced to leave.

Runaway Helpline offers a Freefone number and email service for young people seeking confidential help and advice.

In the past year 68,000 calls were made to Missing People’s Runaway Helpline from young people in crisis situations.

Emma Cummings, Head of Helplines at Missing People, commented :

"Capital listeners can make a real difference to the lives of young runaways in London this Christmas. By supporting the Christmas appeal it means that Missing People can continue to be there for vulnerable young people in all kinds of sad and desperate situations, day and night. Please, please help us to help young people like Sam.

Runaway Helpline spoke to Sam, 12, late on Saturday evening. He confided in us that he had run away because his father had been physically abusing him. Sam was very scared and told us he was feeling very lonely. With the encouragement of a charity volunteer, Sam agreed to talk to a Social Worker on a three-way call. Runaway Helpline have since heard that Sam is safe and Social Services, his school and the Police are all involved in making sure he stays that way ."

 

The Issue

• There are 210,000 reports of missing people every year in the UK.
• It is estimated that 140,000 reports relate to missing children.
• One child is reported missing in the UK every five minutes.

 

In London

• In London there are around 22,000 reports of missing people every year.
• Two-thirds of these are reports for missing and runaway children (est.16,000).
• More than one-third of all children that the charity looked for last year were missing from London.
• At any one time Missing People works on about 100 cases of vulnerable people, missing from, or in London.

 

Runaways

• Last year 68,000 calls were made to Missing People’s Runaway Helpline.
• The peak ages for running away are between 13 and 15 years old.
• Last year, callers to Runaway Helpline indicated that conflict as their primary concern closely followed by homelessness Physical abuse, bullying at home, domestic violence and sexual abuse where also issues.
• Running away can lead to children facing terrible dangers, including physical assault, sexual abuse and even sleeping rough for extended periods. A recent school-based survey on young runaways  reported that 16% slept rough; 9% stole something; 8% of overnight runaways had been harmed; and 7% begged for money or had ‘done other things’ to survive.
• More than 1 in 5 children who run away spend over a week away from home/care and many risk factors associated with youth homelessness are similar to those amongst young runaways.

For more information visit the Missing People website .