There is usually a good reason or trigger for why a child runs away. They may be unhappy, scared, unable to cope at home. They may already be 'at risk' or 'looked after' by Children's Services because their home life is not stable enough for a young child.
It is vital that all those involved, including parents, carers and professionals work together to find the child, make them feel safe and deal with the issues that made them run.
These pages outline what Children's Services do if a child aged under 18 in our care goes missing. Follow the links on the left for further information.
Contact the police
A child (under 18) can be reported missing to the Police at any station, regardless of where they went missing. If you are worried about a child's absence, report it at once.
Are you a runaway?
Talk to someone in confidence.
Call the National Missing Persons Helpline on 0500 700 700. It's free.
You can also call Childline on freephone 0800 1111 at any time.
You can talk to them about anything and they will help you sort it out. They will not tell anyone where you are if you don't want them to.