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The Independent’s safecall campaign Donations have raised over £100,000, marking a huge step towards creating a new national lifeline for missing young people.
This one follows extraordinary public supportIn which readers are giving remarkable momentum to help launch a service designed to reach children most at risk.
Jo Youle, chief executive of Missing People, said: “We are absolutely over the moon Independent An incredible milestone has been reached – £100,000! To every reader, and everyone who has recognized, endorsed and supported the work that Missing People is doing – thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
“Reaching £100,000 isn’t just a milestone – it’s a life-changing moment. We’re one step closer to creating and launching a new service that will help so many children and young people, giving them the hope, safety and opportunity they deserve.
“But we’re not there yet. We still have a way to go to raise the funds to build and launch SafeCall – a service that so many young people urgently need. We need your support to make this a reality. Together, we can change young lives.”
The publication was spurred to action by the sheer scale of the crisis: more than 72,000 children go missing in the UK each year, a number so large that a child is reported missing approximately every two and a half minutes.
This amount is enough to fill the London Stadium, home of the 2012 Olympics, and almost enough to fill the O2 Arena four times over.
By the time you read this article, another child will have been reported missing somewhere in the UK.
donate Here Or text SAFE to 70577 to give missing people £10 – enough to help a child
More than half of the missing children have experienced conflict, abuse or neglect at home, with a fifth forced to leave home.
Seven out of 10 youth who were victims of sexual exploitation have also been reported missing. Of the children interviewed by Missing People upon returning home, one in seven had been sexually abused, while almost one in 10 had been the victim of criminal exploitation.
One in five young people who completed interviews upon returning home revealed mental health problems, while one in 10 were at risk of self-harm. One in 25 was at risk of suicide – the same as one child in the average UK classroom.
Sadly, on average one missing child dies every week.
That’s why SafeCall truly is a “life-changing” service for missing young people – and we urge you to join our campaign.
Jade Knight, one of the youth mentors behind the service, agreed that SafeCall would be “life-changing” for children in crisis. The 23-year-old said she “felt lost in the world” and struggled with chronic illness after going missing 50 times as a teenager, one of which almost proved fatal. She credited Missing People with “saving my life” and is now helping other vulnerable young people get home.
CIL Management Consultants, long-time supporters of missing persons, this week contributed to the SafeCall campaign passing the £100,000 milestone with a generous donation of £5,000.
Managing Partner John Whiteman said: “Too many children go missing without a clear route to help, and SafeCall has the potential to change this. Giving young people a place they can reach out safely and confidentially is incredibly important. CIL is proud to support this campaign and Missing People is working to ensure vulnerable children are not left alone.”
The campaign is not only about launching a new service, but also about raising awareness – sparking debate and pushing for change on an issue that is widespread yet remains de-prioritised, with a total of more than 430,000 people affected by the disappearance of a child each year.
Son of Nerissa Tivy, Alexander SlolyHe went missing in August 2008 when he was just 16 years old. Alex, who would now be 34, disappeared from a friend’s house in Islington, north London, with no wallet, spare clothes or money. “It weighs a lot,” Ms. Tivy said.
“It’s not something that ever goes away. It’s there all the time. Every day is hard. There’s no special day. At one time, I was so stressed that I was in constant pain. I’ve learned that if you have stress, your body holds on to it.”
Missing people with senior psychologistshas warned that neurodivergent children may be at greater risk of going missing and may be at increased risk of harm such as abuse if kept away.
The charity is calling for tailored interventions to stop young people falling into the gap – as Jay Grange, who said he lacked support He was missing out when he was a young teen and struggled with undiagnosed ADHD. “It was the biggest catalyst for my disappearance, 100 percent,” the 24-year-old said. “So it’s a big issue, and I think it’s one of those things that gets overlooked. It seems like we’re missing neurodivergence.”
Living in care is another major risk factor, worryingly one in 10 children in care go missing, compared to one in 200 not in care. Two out of five child trafficking victims who are looked after by the local authority have also gone missing.
Charice Bateson disappeared first A few times when she was very young, but the incidence increased dramatically when she entered the care system as a teenager. She went missing 27 times in a month and was eventually placed in a secure unit.
“I was a kid who lived in business without a home, family or friends,” the 24-year-old said. “I had no control over my life. My way of getting that control back was to escape. I felt safer on the streets than living in care homes and places I didn’t know, with strangers.”
Ms Bateson helped co-design and pilot SafeCall, ensuring that the new service reflects the reality of the young people it aims to reach.
Teenagers are the most likely to go missing, accounting for 61 per cent of disappearances among children aged 12 to 17, yet many say there are still no services designed to meet their needs, leaving them isolated at the very time they need help most.
SafeCall will ensure that young people who are missing, or at risk of missing, can reach out in the way that feels safest to them, with anonymity guaranteed and support available at any time. The free service will expand the reach of missing people through a dedicated helpline, a WhatsApp channel, a 24-hour chatbot and a redesigned website offering advice written for young people.
IndependentThe aim is to raise £165,000 to fund SafeCall. Having passed the £100,000 milestone, we are almost to the target less than a month after launching the appeal. Missing People currently reaches one in four children who go missing each year – with the support of readers, SafeCall aims to reach many more.
Along with the generosity of our readers, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer He supported the campaign, saying that all youth “deserve protection”. He joins the actor and writer sir stephen fryCampaigner Dame Esther Rantzen, former England football captain sir david beckhamCrime writer Sir Ian Rankin and BAFTA-winning actor Monica Dolan Among the prominent figures supporting the appeal.
Please Donate Now The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which aims to raise £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service to help vulnerable children find safety and support.
If you or a loved one is missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116000 for advice, support and options. It’s free, confidential and non-judgmental. or visit missingpeople.org.uk/get-help