Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656

Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Increasing numbers of youngsters on the streets

September 16 2011
 Children’s Society estimates 100,000 children became homeless last year

 

An estimated 100,000 children became homeless last year due to issues including substance abuse, sexual harassment and problems within care homes.

A recent report from The Children’s Society suggested that one in nine youngsters would run away from home at least once before the age of 16, with just under a third of these leaving three or more times.

The organisation, which assists homeless youths across the country, said that runaways are getting younger, with many children aged just 11 or 12 taking to the streets. Officials added that the charity was doing its best to improve its handling of these situations and offer more support to young runaways.

“Every child who runs away should run to safety,” the charity’s Chief Executive, Bob Reitemeier said. “Society is failing young runaways, condemning tens of thousands of children to misery and danger by failing to provide an adequate safety net to break their fall.”

Reitemeier said that children are often made to feel ‘fearful’ of authority due to their unsettled backgrounds and that the organisation aimed to build trust with young homeless people. To address the issues at hand, the charity is implementing an action plan to work with troubled families and improve responses from local authorities.

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