Every year, 100,000 children go missing or run away from home.
There are lots of reasons why this might happen, like challenges at home or at school. Sometimes, criminals target young people online – forcing them into sexual or criminal activity.
Criminals prey on the needs, fears, and wants of young people to manipulate them. Once they have gone missing, teenagers are in real danger. Isolated and scared, they don’t know what to do or who to trust.
When a young person goes missing, it’s up to their support systems – their parents, carers, and other adults in their lives – to make sure that they feel safe. The Children's Society is here to help rebuild their trust.
We can ensure that support is put in place. By working together with partner organisations like local authorities, we can help them to work through the issues that forced them to run away, and reduce the risk that they’ll go missing again.
"Just knowing I had someone there to help me. It just felt great. It made me feel safe." - Lauren
