Missing People Website

runaway stories

Names and locations have been changed to protect identities.

Case study: Tina

Tina initially contacted the Runaway Helpline in the early hours of the morning. She had tried to call Runaway Helpline on her mobile phone but had run out of battery half way through the call. She was very distressed when she called and was tearful and initially difficult to understand.

She told us she was 11 and that she had been kicked out from home.   Tina was very angry about the situation but eventually agreed to speak to Social Care Services. Half way through the call she abruptly hung up saying she would go to the local police station. We did not hear back from her that night.

Tina called us back a few days later at 10pm and asked for contact with Social Services. Runaway Helpline made a referral to the out of hours social services team and they agreed to call her in the phone box.

We then heard from Tina again almost a month later again at 10pm as she had run away that morning and she told us her Mum did not want her at home any more. Runaway Helpline were able to contact social services for her again. She called us back later as social services had advised she return home and she told us she would rather stay on the streets than go back.

Eventually as it was getting very late our night worker was able to persuade her to talk to the local police. It was almost 1am when we finally got Tina picked up by the police and by this time she was very cold and scared. Runaway Helpline stayed on the line talking to her in the phone box until a police officer turned up.

We have since heard that Tina is vulnerable and has special needs. Social services are involved and she is under assessment.

Case study: Sam

Runaway Helpline first spoke to Sam late on a November Saturday evening. He confided in us that he had run away because his father had been regularly hitting and kicking him and was always shouting at him. This was causing Sam a lot of problems and he was now getting very behind at school.

Sam was very scared and told Runaway Helpline he was feeling very lonely and isolated. Eventually with the encouragement of Runaway Helpline Sam agreed to talk through things with a Social Worker, although he was very frightened of what his father’s reaction would be as he had threatened him not to tell anyone about what was going on at home.

Runaway Helpline were able to pass on Sam’s details to a Duty Social Worker who agreed to call him straight away and talk things through. Runaway Helpline were also able to explain to the Social Worker Sam’s concerns about his Father.

Runaway Helpline have since heard that Sam is safe and Social Services, his school and the Police are all involved in making sure he stays that way.

Case study: Max

Runaway Helpline initially received an email from Max (13) in May 2006. He told us that he was having a lot of problems with his step-dad who is always angry and shouts a lot and this has been scaring him.

Max also mentioned in his email that he had started self-harming as he is feeling so unhappy and was thinking about running away as he didn’t know what else he could do.

Runaway Helpline responded to Max’s email asking him for some more information, giving him the details of young people’s support online and encouraging him to let us try to help him.

Max responded to us a day later, he told us that he really didn’t have anyone else to talk to at home and couldn’t trust anyone. He told us again that he was feeling like harming himself and that he felt like he couldn’t carry on with the way things were in his life. Max felt so down he didn’t want to be alive anymore.

Runaway Helpline was very concerned about Max and the information he was telling us about wanting to self-harm. Staff encouraged Max to speak to Social Care Services as he had mentioned that he had spoken to them in the past.

Sadly repeat use of the service is necessary for vulnerable young people like Max and a year later he contacted us again, this time by phone. Max told us things at home had become much worse and that he had been hit on the head about an hour before calling and had run away. He was very scared and had nowhere to go.

With a lot of encouragement Max eventually let us connect him on a three-way call to the local police who took down his location and sent someone to pick him up. We carried on talking to Max until they arrived at the phone box and they told us that they would take him to the station and contact the out of hour’s emergency Social Services Team to get him the help he needed.