One in ten runaway children come from Yorkshire

In total, 26 per cent of under-16 runaways from home or care in Yorkshire have been the victim of a harmful or dangerous experience, but only a small minority of cases are reported to the police.

Nationally, 84,000 children run away overnight on at least one occasion each year.

There were 8,400 cases reported in the Yorkshire region, according to the first comprehensive report into the problem for six years.

One in five runaways have begged, stolen or done “other things” to survive, one in six had slept rough or stayed with someone they’d just met, and one in nine was hurt on the last occasion they ran away.

But two-thirds of runaway children are not “visible” to the police, teachers, social workers or other professionals.

Seven in ten were not reported missing to the police the last time they ran away.

Thereport, called Still Running 3, also revealed that children with learning difficulties or a disability are twice as likely to run away and more than a third leave home before the age of 13, a younger average than found in the last report in 2005.

The report drew on research into more than 7,300 children aged 14 to 15 years old in schools across England and has been published as part of the charity’s Make Runaways Safe campaign.

It calls on the Government to create a national safety net for child runaways, including a national action plan.

It concludes that young people need to be aware that professional help is available to address problems at home and says more emergency accommodation needs to be provided to ensure children are not sleeping rough.

Authorities must not be afraid to intervene at an early point to avoid children repeatedly running away.

“Running away is not a temporary issue – young people who run away repeatedly are young people who have ongoing negative experiences in their families, with their friends, at school and in their lives in general,” the report says.

“It is therefore important that professionals view any incident of running away, however time-limited, as an indicator of potential longer-term problems.”

The Children’s Society Chief Executive Bob Reitemeier, said: “We are deeply concerned that so many children in Yorkshire are still running from home or care.

“Huge numbers are putting themselves in very difficult situations. One child in this situation is too many.

“Some children are so desperate that they steal, turn to drugs or alcohol or are abused by adults who groom them. Too often they are alone and desperate for help.

“We have shown that arguments and other family conflicts play a massive part in a child’s decision to run.

“Poor quality family relationships and neglectful parenting are making children and young people feel helpless.

“Everybody has a part to play in making runaways safe.

“Never has the need for a national safety net of help for young runaways been greater, we urge the Government and other professionals to put this issue to the top of their priority lists.”

The findings were released on the same day as another study, by charity Home-Start UK, which found the stresses and strains of family life are pushing 40 per cent of parents with children under five to “breaking point.”

The report showed that almost two-thirds believe their stress can damage their relationship with their children and almost all of the 1,200 respondents to the survey said their children’s future mental and physical well-being could be affected.

Vivien Waterfield, Home-Start’s Director for Fundraising and Communication, said: “Every year 35,000 families who feel they have nobody to turn to are turning to us for help as they face crises such as poverty and isolation.

“We support almost 73,000 vulnerable children across the UK and our services are being stretched, In some parts of the country we just cannot keep up with demand.

“We believe that there are an unacceptable number of families at breaking point and, without the funding we need, we are forced to turn away potential volunteers because we simply do not have the money to train them.

“And the inevitable consequence is that struggling families and vulnerable children are left without much-needed support.”