 A rare opportunity to present plans for a national policy for runaway
support for under 16’s took place on October 15, 16 and 17 in Westminster. This was the culmination of 20 years of campaigning by The Children’s Society, and is backed by over 30 charities under
the English Coalition for Runaway Children.
Activity commenced with a Pledge Day and two days of Parliamentary hearings in Westminster bringing together representatives from the
police, local authorities, the voluntary sector and MPs. The Pledge Day saw many MPs including Glenda (see photo above) signing a petition in the shape of a giant running shoe to be presented to
Ministers later this month (October).
The Coalition used the opportunity to
present its view that the country now needs a national system for safeguarding young runaways. The Children's Society is proposing a national safety net for runaway children comprising three
elements: •Safe Places: Including immediate access to
emergency accommodation
•Safe Procedures: Including an integrated system for capturing data on young runaways AND Regulated guidance and compliance for local
authorities
•Safe People: Including effective conduct of return interviews for every runaway child with an assessment of
need
Research carried out by The Children’s Society**, revealed that most of the 100,000 children who run away from home or care every year, do
so because of problems at home, with girls age 14 -15 the group most likely to run. Runaways employ risky strategies to survive with one in six sleeping rough and one in twelve
hurt or harmed. Whilst most don't run far from home, many end up sofa surfing or sleeping in stranger’s houses.
For more details of The Children's Society, please follow the link:
https://www.childrens-society.org.
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