Missing People has launched its new SafeCall service, a national lifeline for the 72,000 children who go missing in the UK each year, following the success of The Independent’s fundraising campaign which raised over £165,000 from readers.
The free, confidential helpline went live at 5pm on Tuesday, providing immediate support for young people at risk of going missing, being exploited, or who have nowhere to turn. Sir Keir Starmer, an early supporter, called it “a testament to the generosity of the British public” that would “make an important difference”.
Jo Youle, chief executive of Missing People, said: “This is what collective action can achieve. We’re so excited to launch SafeCall and deeply grateful to The Independent and its readers for making this possible.” The charity currently reaches one in four missing children and aims to extend its reach with the new service.
Every 2.5 minutes, a child is reported missing in the UK, affecting more than 430,000 people each year. On average, one missing child dies every week. The service was developed with input from over 80 young people who have lived experience of going missing.
Personal stories highlighted the need: Chereece Bateson, who disappeared 27 times in a month as a teenager, said SafeCall “would have changed everything”. J Grange, who went missing at 13, said: “If something like this had been around when I was younger, I wouldn’t have felt all the things I felt.”
