"It's estimated that a child runs away from home or care every five minutes in the UK
In a recent survey, one in 11 teenagers aged 14 to 16 admitted to having run away overnight at some stage in their life
It's impossible to know the true scale of the problem: two-thirds of runaways aren't reported as missing to the police, and many are too vulnerable or scared to seek official help
It’s estimated 2000 children will have run away over Christmas."
Above are some shocking facts about teenage runaways, I have been a supporter of Centrepoint for many years because of the care and hope they give to teenage runaways. Having lived in Central London and working in London for so many years, homelessness is something that I have been very aware of and it literally breaks my heart that in the Millennium there are old, young and vulnerable people on our streets facing loneliness, danger, poverty.
With the increase in social media, I now see tweets far too frequently about children running away/disappearing on my timeline and as a parent, it never ceases to make me feel worried about the child and the anguish that has made them even consider running away. I know, I was a teenager once and full of bravura thinking that I was so grown up and so able to *cope* but running away without *support*, it wouldn't take long to feel very *lost* and desolate and sometimes in situations that you are unable to handle.
So please spare a thought for those Children who have felt so lost that they have run away.These runaways need your help and support. So please take a few minutes of your time and consider helping somebody who is essentially *Lost*.
“Having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night is a very old human need. ”
― Margaret Mead
― Margaret Mead
All of the further info to read up on the charities and how to help: http://www.mumsnet.com/runningaway
Twitter: @RailwayChildren and please use #runningaway
