The London Refuge for Runaway Children

The Refuge is run in partnership with the NSPCC and is a secure and confidential place for some of the most vulnerable children. Many are running away from physical, sexual or emotional abuse.

On admission, children are referred to a doctor if necessary, given food, a bath, a bed and clean clothes. We assess their needs and investigate their reasons for running away, paying particular attention to issues of abuse.

Everyone at the Refuge has his or her own room.

Parents are informed that their child is safe, but the address is kept confidential. Our aim is to ensure that the child or young person has somewhere safe to move on to, either back home, or into the care of social services.

If you have run away and are on the streets of London, call freephone 0800 3892168

For those children who return home, we work with them and their families to help overcome their problems.

The Refuge also has a full-time dedicated Personal Adviser from Central London Connexions. The adviser is there to engage with young people who are not in education or training, to see to their educational needs, find ways for them to continue their education, and if necessary put them in touch with the Connexions services in the areas they came from.

As with our children's homes, the London Refuge is inspected at least twice a year by Ofsted. Again, we are proud that the latest inspection commended us for our work at the Refuge. Specific areas of commendation include

• providing young people with a safe, secure and comfortable environment at a time when they are experiencing a great deal of trauma in their lives

• good communication between staff, and between staff and young people

• healthy and nutritious meals provided by a cook who is a qualified chef

• helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Useful links:

Beyond Refuge (executive summary)
A report focusing on admissions to the London Refuge for Runaway Children. It highlights the shortage of emergency refuge accommodation available for children who have nowhere else to turn.

NSPCC
0808 800 5000

ChildLine
0800 1111

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