Missing children: the reality
Petty of the Children's Society says: 'We have projects in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Bournemouth, Torquay, and Essex, where people try to find runaways. They try to get the kid's trust, take them for a burger and sit them down for a chat. We encourage them to come into the projects where we can help with laundry, warm clothes, and give them advice. We also hand out cards with a helpline they can call at any time if they feel scared.'
Light at the end of the tunnel
All groups concerned believe the way forward lies with a government-backed national strategy involving small-scale, safe emergency accommodation; a national network of street work services; awareness raising schemes in schools and policy guidelines for local authorities. They also believe more support needs to be given to youngsters who are considering running away through family mediation services, and more publicity for phone lines and websites that kids can turn to with their problems.
The light at the end of the tunnel could be a report being prepared by the Social Exclusion Unit, which began last June. The Children's Society's Patricia Durr said: 'There are a lot of positive signals coming from the unit in terms of the things we are calling for. To be honest a lot of the things, like better street co-ordination, and refuge provision, are down to money. If the Government is prepared to throw money at the problem, we may have a chance.'
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