Stories from the streets

Theo lived with his mother, father and three sisters. There was a lot of arguing between the sisters which Theo found upsetting because he didn't like to see his family arguing. From the age of six, Theo began running away in the evenings while his mother was out working and his older sisters were too busy arguing about who should look after him to notice where he was.

Theo used to go to the local park where he would meet up with the local vagrants and streetdrinkers. Some of these people were kind and kept an eye on him, while others gave him alcohol to drink. On one occasion, Theo was approached by an older man.

'This bloke came up to me and started talking to me,' recalls Theo. 'He said: "Do you want to come with me?" and I said "No" and ran as fast as I could. I wouldn't look back.'

This isn't unusual - two-thirds of young runaways have reported dubious approaches by an adult while on the street. Sometimes Theo was picked up by the police and taken home. For a while, he stopped running - his sisters left home when he was 11, so there was no conflict. However, the arguments began again when his mother and father hit rocky times.

In a bid to escape the arguments, Theo once again began running away, this time staying overnight at friends. On one occasion, he was away for four nights. Theo also began truanting, which caused further conflict at home.

Theo is still living with his mother and father but still runs away periodically when he needs a break from the arguments at home.