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Jigsaw4u launches new service for Young Runaways in Sutton
Published on March 14, 2010
Children's charity Jigsaw4u has expanded its successful service for Young Runaways to Sutton, thanks to new three year funding from the Big Lottery, Lloyds TSB and the Safer Sutton Partnership.
The new service was launched on Thursday 11 March at Jigsaw4u's Mitcham office.
From left to right: PC Maggie Brownlie, Missing Persons Officer, London Borough of Merton; Anne Davies, chief executive, Jigsaw4u; Patricia Alin, Jigsaw4u project worker; Tom Brake MP; Christine Roe, head of services, Jigsaw4u and Detective Inspector Jessica Craik, Public Protection Group, Sutton Police Station
Tom Brake MP, who attended, said "I welcome the fact the project is being launched and it will enable close working between Sutton and Merton which is an important issue. What this project recognises is there is now great need to make these resources available and focused on vulnerable people as they will have the most problems. It's going to be a great success. It's already been successful in Merton where I understand, on average, 75 people are helped each year and up to 10 have already been helped in Sutton."
The service will work with young people under 18 years, who have run away from home, and their families/carers to help keep young people safe and preventing them from going missing again.
Leigh Pearson, the Sutton missing person officer, will make referrals directly to Trish Alin, the newly appointed Jigsaw4u project worker. PC Maggie Brownlie, Merton's Missing Persons Officer says "The police have a duty of care to interview all children who have gone missing once they have returned home, but we found they wouldn't speak to us. Children often view social care and police as authority figures therefore intervention work is needed with the views of an independent person. Jigsaw4u were brought in speak to the children and bridge this gap." The Metropolitan Police Service has described the Jigsaw4u / Merton partnership as an example of good practice in reducing the number of young people going missing.
They can offer support, a 'listening ear' and mediation with parents and carers. Recent research from The Children's Society shows that approximately 100,000 children run away from home or care in the UK each year- many will be fleeing family conflict, neglect and abuse, with girls aged 14-15 being most likely to run. Sindia Malhotra, Young Runaways Manager from Jigsaw4u has been very effective over the last five years in working with many teenage girls in Merton who are at risk of sexual exploitation.
What makes a child run away from home? Sindia says there are many reasons including family breakdown, bullying, bereavement or they want to be with their boyfriend or girlfriend. "A new stepparent and a child might not get on," she says. "This results in the child staying at a friend's house and is reported missing. My role is to listen to everyone and build up the communication channels by helping them to understand each other so the parties involved can start to communicate again. Another case involved a boy sleeping in a stairwell as he didn't like his new school – his parents had recently moved house. A 15 year old girl ran away to stay with her boyfriend because her mother was emotionally abusive – nothing she did was good enough."
