According to the Make Runaways Safe campaign, approximately half of all male and female prisoners above the age of 16 ran away from their homes when they were still children. Indeed, child drug abuse victims can also experience a higher incidence of school exclusions, alcohol abuse and drug misuse, which have proven links to social and economic problems later in life. A quarter of homeless children who run away from home before they are teenagers, while one in 10 homeless youngsters run away before their tenth birthday.
Certain groups of children who are more susceptible to becoming homeless also include:
More than a third of young people who have either used drugs or alcohol or who have been involved with the police.
Children aged 13 to 15, which is the most common age at which a child becomes homeless.
Girls, who are more likely to be homeless than boys.
Children in care, who three times as likely to run away (although comprising just two per cent of all child runaways).
Children who consider themselves as having learning difficulties or disabilities, which represents approximately one fifth of all young runaways.
Children whose parents have either divorced or separated are three times as likely to run away.
Children living with a single parent are twice as likely to attempt to run away at some point during their childhood.
Supporting young homeless substance abuse victims
Providing an effective safety net for homeless children who have been the victims of child drug abuse is a comprehensive strategy. Charities need to work very closely with all local authorities to establish each child’s background, their motives for running away from home, risk factors that could compromise their health and safety and the level of support they will require in the future.
With more than 100,000 children running away in the UK each year, ensuring that the welfare of each homeless child remains a top priority is the best means to tackle this problem. This helps every agency and professional in the country working with child drug abuse victims to provide the highest standards of care through a coordinated national support network.
Drug abuse can often be a factor in runaway cases. The aim of The Children








