Aberlour Child Care Trust, 36 Park Terrace, Stirling FK8 2JR
Tel: 01786 450335 Fax: 01786 473238
Scotland's Runaway Children
9000 of Scotland's children will run away every year... where will they go?
How many Scottish children run away?
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"Getting beatings from both parents. My dad was an alcoholic and my mum's just been abused by my dad and my mum's abused me." |
The statistics on Scotland's runaways are frightening.
Did you know that:
- One in nine children run away every year in Scotland
- One in five run away before the age of eleven
- One in seven has been forced to leave home before
the age of sixteen - Around 50% of children who run away, run away from homes where there is neglect and abuse
What are the risks?
No matter what the cause, these children feel life at home is so bad that they would rather sleep rough than stay with appalling situations at home - yet the streets are not the safest place for these young runaways.
- One in six is sexually assaulted whilst running
- Between 17 & 28% of children who run away sleep rough or with a stranger
- Over two thirds of children who run are NOT reported missing to the police.
How do we make a difference?
Aberlour is committed to working with and supporting these highly vulnerable children in a variety of ways. We offer mediation, support, advocacy and counseling as well as providing the ONLY refuge for runaways in Scotland.
SO LONG AS ABERLOUR HAS THIS REFUGE THERE IS HOPE FOR MANY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOWHERE SAFE TO GO.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Joanne's Story
Joanne is 13 years old and has runaway from home lots of times before. Previously she would go to her aunt's house but last year, for the first time, she came to the Aberlour refuge.
Joanne lives with her mum and step-dad and has two younger sisters and a younger brother - each to her step-dad.
Joanne said: "I prefer the refuge because my aunt drinks too much. So does my mum. When mum drinks she gets angry and threatens me. My brothers and sisters don't get shouted at as much and my mum and step-dad love them much more than they love me."
During her time at the refuge, the staff discovered that Joanne was cutting her arms and that she had an eating disorder. Whilst Joanne already had a local authority social worker, nobody had realised just how anxious and upset she had become.
The social worker and the refuge worker met with Joanne, her mum and step-dad to discuss how they all felt about the situation. At first her mum and step-dad were defensive and blamed Joanne for being a badly behaved adolescent. About half way through the meeting though, Joanne's mum burst into tears and agreed that she was taking her own emotional problems out on Joanne.
Phil's Story
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"No one cared about me, and I felt like no one was listening." |
Phil is 15 years old and lives with his mum. He ran away from home after his mum hit him. His mum misuses drugs. Phil said: "Mum was angry at me because I wouldn't stop talking so I ran away."
Phil came to the Aberlour refuge after contacting the local authority social work department stand-by service. At first he said he wouldn't go home. After a couple of days in the refuge he felt that he might be able to go home - at least for a trial period - if a refuge worker could help him talk to his mum.
The refuge worker met Phil and his mum individually to talk through the issues that were causing concern. Phil said he didn't like being left alone all the time and that there never seemed to be enough money for decent food or clothes because his mum spent it all on drugs. Phil's mum said she wanted to get help for her drug problem but it was hard to cope with being a parent at the same time.
The refuge worker than set up a meeting with both Phil and his mum so that they could discuss the way forward. Phil's mum agreed to get help with her drug problem and Phil said he would spend more time on his homework. Both agreed that they should do things together occasionally, such as going to the cinema or bowling alley and to communicate better with each other about their expectations and concerns.
The discussions with his mum helped Phil to feel more confident and he returned
home. A local authority social worker and an outreach worker from the Aberlour
service talked to Phil's aunt and uncle who now allow him to stay with them
every week or two. This helps both Phil and his mum to cope.
How can you make a difference?
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"I ran away because I couldn't put up with my mum and dad nagging at me, and my dad raped me." |
Our supporters HAVE and CAN make a difference
We have already given refuge to many young runaways and ROC outreach services help many more look at other alternatives to running away.
The problem is much larger than the services we provide - but we could do so much more WITH YOUR HELP.
Every penny can make a difference to the lives of Scotland's runaway children.
Donate Online at www.scotlandsrunawaychildren.org
email runaways@aberlour.org.uk
or call our
Campaign Action Line - 0870 118 1875
all major credit/debt cards accepted.
or simply pick up your mobile phone and
text ACTION NOW to 88010 to donate £1.50*
*Texts will cost £1.50 plus standard network charges.
Every penny makes a difference to Scotland's children
£5 could provide a voice on the end of the phone for support and advice for a young runaway.
£10 could provide overnight clothing and a toiletries pack for a runaway when the they arrive at the refuge.
£20 could pay for the transport to get a young runaway to the refuge, to make sure they get safely from the streets.
£50 could pay for a one to one session with an outreach worker, so that they can get the help they need to stay safe on the streets or return home.
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| View the Scotland's Runaways pdf | 864Kb |
| Read about Running - Other Choices |