Homelessness & running away

You may be feeling like you want to run away from care. Some of the reasons you might want to run away could be:

• not getting on with the staff or foster carers you are living with
• being bullied by other children in the same care home
• being bullied about living in care
• wanting to live with someone else, such as friends or family.

ChildLine talks to lots of young people who are in care. We understand that it can be a difficult time, and sometimes it can feel like decisions have been made for you that you do not always agree with. However, running away will not solve things, and can make things more difficult for you.

Remember that you have a right to tell someone if you’re unhappy with your care placement. Some young people find it helps to talk to their social worker about the reasons for feeling unhappy, and in some situations they may be able to arrange a different care placement for you. However, if you feel unable to do this you could give ChildLine a call on 0800 1111 and talk through things with a counsellor. Read more about living in care.

Being homeless means not having somewhere to live, either because you have been kicked out of home or have run away and feel like you cannot return. Many homeless children:

• are forced to sleep on the street, which is not safe and can only be temporary
• get friends to lend them a bed or sofa for the night, which could be dangerous, against the law, or get the friend into trouble
• stay with another family member, again, temporarily. If the family member is willing to look after you on a long term basis, and this is what you want to happen, this would have to be decided by the local authority Children’s Services department.

If you’re in any of these situations, you’ll be considered as homeless by law. The authorities have to act to make sure that you have a safe home, so it’s really important to find out what options are there for you. As a first step it can often be really helpful to talk to a ChildLine counsellor. They will work with you to understand your situation, and to find the safest option for you.

If you are younger than 16, you can’t make the decision to leave home yourself, as the law says you need to be in the care of an adult. However, if you are finding living at home too difficult then your local authority may be able to:

• help you sort things out with your parents
• arrange for you to live with another family member or adult (eg an aunt, grandparent or a friend’s parent)
• find you emergency accommodation (eg with a foster carer), if you are worried about being hurt at home.

This will often mean talking to a social worker about how things have been at home.
Social workers may try to find a way for you to return home, but if living at home is unsafe, they will look at other options.

If you know someone who has run away from home, it’s important to encourage them to seek some help for themselves. If you are still in contact with them you could give them the ChildLine phone number (0800 1111) or the details of this website.

If you are worried about a friend or relative who has gone missing, then you should contact the police as soon as possible.