For many of the children we work with, Christmas doesn’t bring festive cheer
We see it every year – as Christmas approaches, families struggling with cost of living, relationships or poor mental health face extra strain. And as situations become unbearable, many children and young people reach crisis point and see running away as their only option.
Every day, another 192 children go missing across the UK – more than half are running away from conflict, abuse or neglect at home.*
Children like 14-year-old Darcy who arrived, scared and alone, at a train station after running away because she didn’t feel safe at home. Vulnerable children like her are susceptible to being lured and groomed by those wishing to exploit and harm vulnerable young people for their own gain.
But together, we can all play our part to keep children and young people safe – and it starts with you.
But every day, another 28 children are found vulnerable and at risk on the UK rail network.**
And with each hour and each day that passes, the risks – of exploitation, violent crime and abuse – increase.
Together, we can be there for all of these children and young people.
From training rail staff, to liaising with British Transport Police, to supporting children and young people through our Railway Children workers, to bringing together vital services to help a child move forward – it’s your support that enables all of this to happen. Together, we’re keeping children like Darcy safe every step of the way.
It starts with you – so others can play their part in keeping children safe…
“Completing Railway Children’s training meant I could see straight away that Darcy needed help, and I knew the steps to take to get it.”
Our expertise and knowledge supports DfT’s Safeguarding on Rail Scheme. We help train those working in the rail industry to recognise and report when a child or young person seems vulnerable.
In the past year, we’ve trained around 12,000 rail staff across various roles to help safeguard more young people like Darcy. With more people signing up to be trained all the time, we’re expanding our network of eyes and ears to ensure children and young people are getting the help they need, when they need it.
“The longer a child is missing, the greater the risk of exploitation, violence and abuse. We respond to vulnerable children and young people quickly before they come to harm, then refer them to Railway Children for long-term support.”
Our unique partnership with British Transport Police means we can reach more children and young people. Through working alongside BTP, we can be there for a child right at their point of need, then support them long-term to move into a more positive future.
“It can take a while for a child to talk to us about the issues that led them to run away. We work with a child for as long as it takes – helping them face problems and, together, building long-lasting solutions.”
Our Railway Children Youth Practitioners, based around the UK, are committed to working directly with a child or young person for as long as is needed for that child to feel safe now and confident in the future. With your support, we can expand the number of Youth Practitioners working across the country and ensure that no child is left behind.
“When a child is dealing with problems, so is the whole family. We talk with Railway Children about what wider support needs to be put in place to keep a child safe.”
Through bringing together the support services a child and their family need – whether it be social workers, schools, local council or mental health support – we can make sure everyone’s needs are met so that a child or young person is supported in every area of life.
Your donations will be used to protect children in the UK, India and Tanzania – wherever the need is greatest.
Names and details have been changed and models used to protect identities.