70,000 reasons to support our Christmas appeal
Independent’s Donations from the SafeCall campaign have surpassed £100,000, marking a major step towards creating a new national lifeline for missing young people.
This follows an incredible outpouring of public support, with readers donating at an extraordinary pace to help launch a service designed to reach the most at-risk children.
Jo Youle, CEO of Missing People, said: “We are absolutely thrilled about this. Independent reached an incredible milestone – £100,000! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to every reader and everyone who appreciates, supports and advocates for the work that Missing People does.
“Hitting £100,000 isn’t just a milestone, it’s a life-changing moment. We’re one step closer to creating and launching a new service that will help so many children and young people, giving them the hope, security and opportunities they deserve.
“But we’re not there yet. We still have a way to go to raise the money needed to create and launch SafeCall, a service that many young people urgently need. We need your support to make this a reality. Together we can change young people’s lives.”
This publication was prompted by the scale of the crisis: more than 72,000 children go missing in the UK every year; This number is so large that a child is reported missing roughly every two and a half minutes.
The total amount is enough to fill the London Stadium, which hosted the 2012 Olympics, and fill the O2 Arena almost four times over.
By the time you finish reading this article another child will have been reported missing somewhere in Britain.
donate Here or donate £10 to Missing People by texting SAFE to 70577 – enough for one child to get help
More than half of missing children have experienced conflict, abuse or neglect at home, and a fifth have felt forced to leave.
It was reported that seven out of every 10 young people who were sexually abused were missing. Of the children interviewed by Missing People when they returned home, one in seven had been sexually abused, and approximately one in 10 had been the victim of criminal abuse.
A fifth of young people who completed their homecoming interviews disclosed mental health problems and one in 10 were at risk of self-harm. One in 25 people was at risk of suicide; This is equivalent to one child in the average classroom in the UK.
Tragically, on average, one missing child dies every week.
That’s why SafeCall is a truly “life-changing” service for lost young people and we’re calling on you to join our campaign.
Jade Knight, one of the young counselors behind the service, agreed SafeCall would be “life-changing” for children in crisis. The 23-year-old said she “felt lost in the world” and battled chronic illness when she got lost 50 times in her youth, with one incident nearly fatal. He said Missing People “saved my life” and now helps other vulnerable young people find their way home.
Long-time Missing Persons supporter CIL Management Consultants this week helped the SafeCall campaign pass the £100,000 milestone with a generous donation of £5,000.
Managing partner Jon Whiteman said: “Too many children go missing without a clear path to help, and SafeCall has the potential to change this. Providing a space where young people can reach out in a safe and confidential way is incredibly important. CIL is proud to support this campaign and the work Missing People does to ensure vulnerable children are not left to cope alone.”
The campaign not only launches a new service, but aims to raise awareness, spark discussion and press for change on a widespread but under-prioritised issue, with more than 430,000 people overall affected by the disappearance of a child each year.
Nerissa Tivy’s son, Alexander Sloley, disappeared in August 2008 when he was only 16 years old. Alex, now 34, disappeared from a friend’s house in Islington, north London, without his wallet, spare clothes or money. “It’s too heavy,” said Miss Tivy.
“It’s not something that ever goes away. It’s always there. Every day is hard. There’s no specific day. At one point, I had so much stress that I was in pain all the time. I learned that if you have stress, your body accommodates it.”
Missing People, along with senior psychologists, have warned that children with neurodivergence may be at greater risk of getting lost while they are away and at higher risk of harm such as exploitation.
The charity is calling for specific interventions to prevent young people falling through the gaps; like J Grange, who says she lacked support when she disappeared as a young teenager and struggled with undiagnosed ADHD. “That was the biggest catalyst for me getting lost, 100 percent,” the 24-year-old said. “So this is a huge problem, and I think that’s one of the things that’s being overlooked. We seem to be overlooking neurodivergence.”
Being in care is another important risk factor; It is alarming that one in 10 looked after children goes missing, compared to one in 200 children not in care. Two out of every five trafficked children in the care of local governments go missing.
Chereece Bateson first disappeared several times when she was much younger, but incidents escalated dramatically when she entered the care system as a teenager. He disappeared 27 times in one month and was eventually placed in a secure unit.
“I was a kid living in a job where I had no home, no family and no friends,” the 24-year-old said. “I had no control over my life. The way to regain that control was to run away. I felt safer being on the streets than in nursing homes with strangers and in places I didn’t know.”
Ms Bateson helped co-design and pilot SafeCall, ensuring the new service reflected the reality of the young people it aims to reach.
Young people continue to be the ones most likely to disappear; 61 percent of all cases are in those ages 12 to 17; But many say there are still no services to meet their needs, leaving them alone right when they need help the most.
SafeCall will enable missing young people or those in danger of getting lost to reach them in the safest way, with the guarantee of anonymity and support at any time. The free service will expand Missing People’s reach through a dedicated helpline, a WhatsApp channel, a 24-hour chatbot and a redesigned website offering advice for young people.
Independent‘s target is to raise £165,000 to fund SafeCall. Having passed the £100,000 milestone, we are still getting closer to the target, less than a month after the appeal was launched. Missing People currently reaches nearly a quarter of children reported missing each year; With the support of readers, SafeCall aims to achieve much more.
Alongside the generosity of our readers, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also backed the campaign, saying all young people “deserve safety”. Prominent figures backing the call include actor and writer Sir Stephen Fry, alongside campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen, former England football captain Sir David Beckham, crime writer Sir Ian Rankin and Bafta-winning actor Monica Dolan.
Please donate now To the Independent and Missing Persons’ Safe Call campaign, which aims to raise £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service to help vulnerable children find safety and support.
If you or a loved one is lost, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000 for advice, support and options. It’s free, confidential and non-judgmental. Or visit misspeople.org.uk/get-help
