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Monday morning, a helpline The worker responded to a call from a concerned parent whose 15-year-old son had not come home the night before. By lunch time, they had also heard about a 14-year-old who had dropped out of school. too scared to returnand a 17-year-old girl who said she wanted to board the train and never come back.
By Wednesday evening that week, he had spoken to a missing A 14-year-old girl living in foster care who was abused and at risk of suicide, a 16-year-old girl who wanted to disappear with her nine-year-old sister to save her from conflict, and a mother crying because of her autistic son did not come home,
These are just a fraction of the calls received each week by the charity Missing People, whose helpline staff listen, advise and support anyone affected by a disappearance.
As Independent And Missing People plans to raise £165,000 for launch secure callA new free service providing support and protection for children, we spoke to behind-the-scenes workers who are helping many of the 70,000 young people who go missing each year.
donate Here Or text SAFE to 70577 to give missing people £10 – enough to get one child support.
The charity’s helpline workers handle calls and messages from people who are often in crisis, need advice, or simply need someone to listen. It is estimated that around 13 young people call the charity every day.
Paul JosephThe head of the charity’s helpline said: “The team, whether they’re on the phone or responding to a message, there will always be a sense of calm, even if someone is really worried and it’s all very much emotion, they will respond calmly and warmly.
“It’s really important that we create that space where people can say things and not be judged.”
For people who are missing, staff will talk to them about their situation and assess their safety to understand what support they need.
If they’re speaking to a caller who is concerned about someone else being missing, they’ll talk to them about things they can do to find that person, and help them take the next steps to filing a missing person report.
If asked, the charity can send messages to family, police or social services, or connect them into a three-way call. “During those calls, it’s really important that we advocate for that person and make sure the third party we’re talking to understands what’s going on.”
The charity also has a service called TextSafe, which texts missing people at the request of the police and provides confidential helpline support.
Many of the messages the helpline worker receives are from people who have received a TextSafe message. “Sometimes they can be a little curious,” Mr Joseph said. “They may wonder why they got the message. They may ask us who we are and what we do, and we’ll explain to see if we can help them.”
The team also receives intelligence from people who may have seen an appeal for someone or have information about a case.
It’s a job that requires hard work, Mr. Joseph said: “It always takes someone who is warm to communicate… It’s hard to convey emotions, and it’s hard to convey emotions in a text message. It’s a real skill.”
“We need people who are flexible and can listen to hard things and talk about hard things.”
Some of the more difficult calls to hear, he said, are from people who are experiencing “really terrible things” or have been let down by their carers or the services that are responsible for them.
“I think talking to families of people who have been missing for a long time is really difficult,” Mr Joseph said.
Employees always expect that the person they are talking to will enlighten them about their situation. It can be challenging to talk to someone for a long time and not hear what they have to say, he said.
Although a typical day at work may include heartbreaking phone calls or messages, it is incredibly rewarding. “The team knows they are there for those people during those difficult times,” Mr Joseph said.
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 www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or struggling to cope, you can speak to Samaritans in confidence on 116 123 (UK & ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit Samaria website to get details of your nearest branch. If you live in the United States, and you or someone you know needs mental health support right now, call or text 988, or go to 988lifeline.org To access online chat from 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country then you can go www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you.