If you are away from the place you normally live for whatever reason and you're worried, scared, hungry, cold or lonely - we may be able to help you.
We are a children’s charity that was born about eight years ago. Our founder Hilary watched a TV programme about young people who run away, go missing or are thrown out and was shocked at how little help was available to them. She had a eureka moment (apple falling on her head, light bulb turning on type thing) and decided to do something about it.
So she roped in all her friends and family and asked them to help and set about starting SAFE@LAST.
Eight years later we have grown tons and now offer services across South Yorkshire for young people who have run away, are thinking of running away, or have been thrown out of the place they normally live.
SAFE@LAST does four main things:
1: Prevention Work
We visit schools to tell people about the work we are doing. We come into schools so we can tell young people our phone number and what we do and also so we can tell them about running away. We always go in with our really fab slogan ’Ring don’t Run’. Because we want young people to ring us before they run away from home so we can try and help.2: The Helpline
We have a helpline that young people can call (or text!!) us on! You can call us at anytime of the day or night and someone will always answer. We can chat to children/young people/kids/little people (or whatever you want to be called) about all sorts of things. And not only that but we can arrange to come and meet you if you want us to.3: Ongoing Support
We run a scheme with South Yorkshire police that means if someone runs away from home and then returns the police tell us and we give the young person a call to see if they want us to come out and have a chat with them. Our project workers are friendly and approachable and can support young people so that they do not feel the need to run away from home again.4: The Refuge
We also have a refuge for children and young people in South Yorkshire. It’s basically just a house but it’s in a top secret location (like the bat cave) so that it’s a really safe place to be. If a young person has no where safe to stay they may be able to come into our refuge for a short period of time while something is sorted out for them. If you feel you may need this sort of help the best way to get in touch is through our helpline.
