Project to support vulnerable runaways

Vulnerable children who regularly go missing will get help and support to stop them slipping through the net, Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester’s Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner has announced.

The project, led by the third sector, will see a coordinated and consistent approach to tackling the growing missing children problem across Greater Manchester.

In 2014, more than 4,000 children were reported missing in Greater Manchester, with more than 1,000 children going missing more than once. One child has been reported missing more than 200 times during their life. Around 95% of young people at risk from sexual exploitation have gone missing at least once.

The Children’s Society, in partnership with charities Urban Outreach and 42nd Street, will work with children and young people - and their parents, families and carers - to address the reasons why they go missing and put in place a tailored package of support to help keep them out of harm’s way.

Tony Lloyd said: “This is an issue we cannot ignore. Any child that goes missing, even for a short period, is at risk. But it’s clear we need a new approach to this issue, one which treats young people as individuals, listens to their worries and fears, and gives them a voice in tackling the problems that are making them run away in the first place.

“For the first time vulnerable missing children, and their families, will get consistent and bespoke support, ending the postcode lottery that’s gone before. This project will not only provide a lifeline to children and young people who are crying out for help, it will also help reduce demand on an already stretched policing services.”

Paul Maher, Greater Manchester Area Manager at The Children’s Society, said: “Children and young people run away for many different reasons, including family breakdown, abuse and neglect.

“We know from our existing work in Greater Manchester that intensive personal support can really help to reduce the risk of children going missing from home or care with all the dangers that carries, including being sexually exploited.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with our partners Urban Outreach and 42nd Street to help keep even more young people safe and ensure the same vital support is available across Greater Manchester.”

The two-year project will begin in February 2017 and will work with children who have been reported missing between two and five times in the last 12 months. This early intervention will help stop the problem getting worse, preventing further missing from home incidents.

It aims to reduce the number of children going missing and work with those vulnerable children and young people to identify and address the reasons for them going missing. This will include mentoring, parenting programmes, mediation with families, specialist counselling, and building young people’s personal, social and academic skills.

The project will complement the ongoing work to tackle child sexual exploitation, which brings police, councils, health, the voluntary sector and other agencies together to protect vulnerable children and young people and target those who prey on them.