Teenage Runaways Lack Safe Places To Go

Research suggests that only a tiny fraction of the 100,000 UK under 16s who run away yearly are given emergency shelter by councils.

Nearly two-thirds of the 210 English, Welsh and Scottish councils who responded to the Railway Children charity survey offered no under-16s accommodation in the past year. The research found just 157 children were offered this sort of support.

Council leaders acknowledged a shortage of emergency accommodation. However, only about half the local authorities kept figures on how many times such emergency accommodation was used, the study said.

The research was prompted by growing concern about runaway children. It highlighted how all refuges but one for young children had closed by this year.

"Inconsistent use of local authority emergency accommodation was leaving young people without a safe place at the time they need it most," it said.

More on this story and the full report is available from the Railway Children Charity here.