The Independent’s SafeCall campaign has surged past £100,000 in donations, marking a major step towards creating a new national lifeline for missing young people.
It follows an extraordinary outpouring of public support, with readers giving at remarkable speed to help launch a service designed to reach the children most at risk.
Jo Youle, chief executive of Missing People, said: “We are absolutely over the moon that The Independent has reached an incredible milestone – £100,000! To every reader, and to everyone who has recognised, supported, and championed the work Missing People is doing – thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
“Reaching £100,000 isn’t just a milestone – it’s a life-changing moment. We are one step closer to building and launching a new service that will help so many children and young people, giving them the hope, safety and opportunities they deserve.
“But we’re not there yet. We still have a way to go to raise the funds to build and launch SafeCall – a service that so 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 moved to act by the sheer scale of the crisis: more than 72,000 children go missing in the UK every year, a number so vast that a child is reported missing roughly every two and a half minutes.
The total is enough to fill the London Stadium, home of the 2012 Olympics, and nearly enough to fill the O2 Arena four times over.
By the time you have finished reading this article, another child will have been reported missing somewhere in Britain.
Donate here or text SAFE to 70577 to give £10 to Missing People – enough for one child to get help
Over half of missing children have experienced conflict, abuse or neglect at home, with a fifth feeling forced to leave.
Seven in 10 young people who have been sexually exploited have also been reported missing. Of the children interviewed by Missing People upon returning home, one in seven had been sexually exploited, while nearly one in 10 had been a victim of criminal exploitation.
One in five of the young people who completed return home interviews disclosed mental health issues, with one in 10 at risk of self-harm. One in 25 were at risk of suicide – the equivalent of one child in an average UK classroom.
Tragically, one missing child dies every week on average.
This is why SafeCall truly is a “life-changing” service for missing young people – and why we urge you to join our campaign.
Jade Knight, one of the young advisers behind the service, agreed that SafeCall will be “life-changing” for children in crisis. The 23-year-old described “feeling lost in the world” and struggling with chronic illness when she went missing 50 times as a teenager, with one episode proving almost fatal. She credited Missing People with having “saved my life” and is now helping other vulnerable young people find their way home.
Long-term Missing People supporter CIL Management Consultants this week contributed to the SafeCall campaign passing its £100,000 milestone with a generous donation of £5,000.
Managing partner Jon Whiteman said: “Too many children go missing without a clear route to help, and SafeCall has the potential to change that. Giving young people a space where they can reach out in a way that feels safe and confidential is incredibly important. CIL is proud to support this campaign and the work Missing People is doing to make sure vulnerable children aren’t left to cope alone.”
The campaign is not only about launching a new service but about raising awareness – sparking debate and pushing for change on an issue that remains widespread yet underprioritised, with more than 430,000 people overall affected each year by the disappearance of a child.
Nerissa Tivy’s son, Alexander Sloley, went missing in August 2008 when he was just 16. Alex, who would now be 34, disappeared from a friend’s house in Islington, north London, with no wallet, spare clothes or money. “It weighs heavily,” Ms Tivy said.
“It’s not something that ever leaves. It’s there all the time. Every day is difficult. There is no particular day. At one point, I had so much stress that I was constantly in pain. I’ve learnt that if you’ve got stress, your body harbours it.”
Missing People, along with senior psychologists, has warned that neurodivergent children could be in greater danger of going missing and are at heightened risk of harm, such as exploitation, while they are away.
The charity is calling for tailored interventions to prevent young people from falling through the gaps – as is J Grange, who said he lacked support when he was disappearing as a young teenager and struggling with undiagnosed ADHD. “It was the biggest catalyst for me going missing, 100 per cent,” the 24-year-old said. “So it’s a massive issue, and I think it’s one of the things that gets overlooked. We seem to miss neurodivergence.”
Being in care is another major risk factor, with an alarming one in 10 looked-after children going missing, compared with one in 200 who are not in care. Two in five trafficked children who are looked after in local authority care have also gone missing.
Chereece Bateson first disappeared a few times when she was much younger, but it was when she entered the care system as a teenager that the episodes escalated dramatically. She went missing 27 times in one month and was eventually placed in a secure unit.
“I was a child living in a business with no home, family or friends,” the 24-year-old said. “I had no control over my life. My way of gaining that control back was to escape. I felt safer being on the streets than in care homes with strangers, and places I didn’t know.”
Ms Bateson helped co-design and pilot SafeCall, ensuring the new service reflects the reality of the young people it aims to reach.
Teenagers remain the most likely to disappear, with those aged 12 to 17 accounting for 61 per cent of all incidents, yet many say there is still no service designed to meet their needs, leaving them isolated at the very moment they need help most.
SafeCall will ensure missing young people, or those at risk of disappearing, can reach out in the way that feels safest to them, with anonymity guaranteed and support available at any hour. 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 written for young people.
The Independent’s goal is to raise £165,000 to fund SafeCall. After surpassing the £100,000 milestone, we are already nearing the target less than a month after launching the appeal. Missing People currently reaches about one in four of the children reported missing each year – with readers’ support, SafeCall aims to reach many more.
Alongside the generosity of our readers, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has thrown his backing behind the campaign, saying that all young people “deserve safety”. He joins actor and writer Sir Stephen Fry, campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen, former England football captain Sir David Beckham, crime writer Sir Ian Rankin and Bafta-winning actor Monica Dolan among the prominent figures supporting the appeal.
Please donate now to The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which aims to raise £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support.
For advice, support and options if you or someone you love goes missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000. It’s free, confidential and non-judgemental. Or visit missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
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