Children and young people who run away from home in mid and west Wales are to be given help under a new scheme.
The project in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys will see homelessness charity Llamau interviewing and helping children who have been reported missing.
In 2014 there were more than 1,000 reports of missing children with many running away more than once.
The new scheme has been commissioned by Dyfed-Powys Police.
The aim is to identify trends in situations which prompt young people to run away, pinpoint risks during their time away and study the places they go.
In 2014, Dyfed-Powys Police received 1,038 missing reports for 520 children and young people aged under 18.
Missing children reports in 2014
- Carmarthenshire 344
- Ceredigion 148
- Pembrokeshire 259
- Powys 287
Of these, 365 went missing once; 114 two to four times and 25 five to seven times.
There were 16 young people who fled home more than seven times.
Police and Crime Commissioner Christopher Salmon said: "There are many reasons why young people flee their homes, including sexual exploitation.
"We've seen the terrible effects of neglect and official inaction in Yorkshire and Oxford. I want us to tackle the causes to make sure children here are safe from harm."
The service is expected to cost £80,000 to run between July 2015 and March 2018.
Source: http://goo.gl/rdf3vG
No comments:
Post a Comment