1. Young Runaways Project By Youth Inspectors

2. Background Information In response to HM Government producing an action plan focusing on Young Runaway’s: The Youth Inspectors are working with the Safeguarding Board to make people aware, about Young Runaway’s. Walsall Safeguarding Board established a steering group to focus on supporting Young Runaways in Walsall.

3. What is a Young Runaway? The Government said……. ‘Running Away’ – ‘A child or young person under the age 18 who spends one night or more away from the family home or care without permission, or has been forced to leave by their parents or carers.’

4. What are the Youth Inspectors doing? Support Card: Will be given to all young people in Walsall, to give them information about support services available to them, relating to a range of issues.

5. What are the Youth Inspectors doing continued? The Resource Pack: Will be given to schools as part of their citizenship programme. The resource pack will also be sent to other services that work with children and young people such as; Residential Centres and Leisure Services. It will be an interactive DVD focusing on Young Runaways.

6. Benefits of the project The Support Card will be used to inform all young people aged 13 – 19, about ways to keep themselves safe. The role play and resource pack will be used to inform young people about some of the dangers, if they choose to run away. To allow young people to understand about the people who can help them locally, regionally and nationally.

7. There are approximately 129,000 runaway incidents each year, 77,000 of these involve children under the age of 16. To put this in context with the Walsall borough, the total number of runaways each year is more than double the total number of children and young people living in the Walsall borough.

8. “A Day In The Life” Idea by Alex Thomson