Councils must collect information about young people who run away from home or care, a minister said. At the launch of the Government's Young Runaways action plan [Tuesday 17 June], the minister for children, Kevin Brennan, said council staff needed to garner runaway's details to ensure the right services were in place to help them. Mr Brennan highlighted six areas that councils should focus on, including working with the voluntary sector and conducting a return interview for every young person, to identify and address their reasons for running away. Mr Brennan said: ‘It is vital that we work together to spot the warning signs, and make sure young people get the help they need to resolve their problems before they decide to run. But equally, if a young person does run away, we need to respond quickly with services in place to keep them safe.' Children in care are three times more likely to run away. The Young Runaways action plan is available on the DCSF website.
