Runaways not protected by half of councils

Half of local authorities in England do not have any policies to
protect young runaways a year after the government issued
guidelines on the issue, according to research from a children’s
charity, writes Amy Taylor.
 
The survey, conducted by The Children’s Society, found that half of
the 91 councils which responded were unable to answer questions
asking if they had fulfilled Department of Health guidelines or
refused to take part.

The key recommendations are the setting up of interagency
protocols for missing children, the appointment of a runaways
manager to monitor the system, and for annual ‘strategic
monitoring’ reports to be made on the situation for missing
children.

Other findings show that only one in seven councils have fully
implemented the guidelines’ key recommendations, and almost half
said they only had protocols in place for children running away
from care.

The survey comes as The Children’s Society launches its ‘Safe
& Sound?’ campaign calling for a national network of emergency
accommodation, and for local authorities to provide the support for
young runaways that the government has recommended.

‘Safe & Sound? Survey’ and more information on the
campaign at 
www.childrenssociety.org.uk