More refuges needed to protect runaways, says charity
A network of emergency accommodation for young runaways should be created across the UK, says a new report from a leading children’s charity.
It reveals there are currently only nine refuge places for young runaways in the country, even
though 100,000 children and young people under 16 run away overnight every year.
The report, Commissioning, Delivery and Perceptions of Emergency Accommodation for Young Runaways, was written by The Children’s Society in collaboration with the University of York and was commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. This was part of the Government’s Young Runaways Action Plan, which was strongly welcomed by the English Coalition for Young Runaways when published in 2008.
It contains 17 recommendations on how a national safety net for runaways in need of somewhere safe to stay could be created in a way that could bring significant cost savings in the long term.
The report summarises previous research conducted by The Children’s Society which found that 20% of the 100,000 children who run away each year either sleep rough or are harmed whilst away from home.
Many children are running from violence, abuse and neglect. The report emphasises that running away is largely a hidden problem; only 5% of runaways currently seek help from agencies like the police or social services whilst away from home, and so many professionals working with these children weren’t aware of the scale of the problem in their area.
The report recommends that the proposed network of emergency accommodation should be part of a wider package of crisis support for young runaways. This network should include everything from universal and targeted work to prevent young people running away in the first place, a 24-hour crisis helpline, to the provision of follow-up support to help reduce the chances of children running away again.
The report suggests that these services should be set up in geographical clusters with local authorities sharing the costs.
Other recommendations include: specialist refuges; alernative ways of offering emergency accommodation; crisis services; a good practice guide and follow up assessments.
(Photograph modelled for The Children's Society © | Pierre-François Didek)
