Think before you run

It may seem like you’re on your own and there’s no one you can turn to, but whatever your problem there are things you can do and people who can help you.

“I can’t stand being bashed about any more”
“They bully me at school”
“I’m terrified they’ll find out I’m pregnant”
“My mother is getting drunk and then she’s violent”
“My family don’t like my boyfriend”
“I lost my temper and caused some damage”
“They blame me for everything”

So what can I do?

If you have a problem, you need to talk to someone who can help.

If you can, start by talking to your parents or carers. Tell them that you are worried or upset and want to talk to them about it. They sometimes understand more than you might think and problems can often be sorted out this way.

If this isn’t realistic, is there another adult that you feel comfortable to talk to, someone you trust like a teacher, youth worker or learning mentor.

The SAFE@LAST helpline has people who understand - you are not on your own - similar problems have happened to other young people and we’ve helped to sort them out.

There’s nothing glamorous about life on the streets - it can be cold, dirty and very dangerous. You could end up feeling hungry, lonely and scared.

DON’T LET YOUR PROBLEMS REACH THE POINT WHERE RUNNING AWAY FEELS LIKE THE ONLY SOLUTION. TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT YOUR WORRIES AND GET SOME HELP NOW.

Running away is never the answer.

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What happens when I call

When a young person calls our helpline, no matter what time of day or night, one of our operators will answer it.

Our operators are all just normal, local people. No special powers and no green tentacles.

When they answer the phone they will tell you their name and have a little chat with you. You may tell them lots of information straight away or they may ask you some questions - you only have to tell us what you want.

The operator may also explain to you our confidentiality statement. Basically what this is, is that anything you want to tell the operator you can and they will keep it a complete secret, but if you tell them that someone is hurting you or that you know someone else is being hurt then they may have to tell someone else, like a SAFE@LAST Manager, who then may decide to tell someone else like a Police Officer or a Social Worker.

You can chat to the operator for as long as you like and about whatever you feel you need to talk about. You may just want a chat or you may want something else to happen, in which case the operators can help you. If you want someone to come and meet with you they can help arrange that or if you have nowhere to stay tonight we can try and help with that too.

If you call from a landline or payphone the call is free but you will have to pay if you are calling from your mobile. However if you give us your number we can always call you back to save your credit.

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What happens when I text

As well as calling the helpline Young people can also text us (aren’t we clever!). Sometimes you may want to tell us something simple and think a text is best or you may not feel up to picking up the phone.

When you text us between 9am and 9pm someone will text you back as quickly as possible. You can have a text conversation or you can ask us to call you so we can chat easier. Sometimes we get ourselves in a knot and might not be able to text you back straight away - if you need to talk to someone urgently it’s always best to give us a call. We know it can be scary but we are all really lovely!

When you start texting the operator may tell you about our confidentiality statement. Basically what this means is that anything you want to tell the operator you can and they will keep it a complete secret, but if you tell them that someone is hurting you or that you know someone else is being hurt then they may have to tell someone else like a SAFE@LAST manager.

Please text us soon - we are waiting!

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Confidentiality promise

If you call or text SAFE@LAST we promise to keep everything you tell us confidential. We won’t tell your mum, dad, grandma, uncle, friends, cousin or great aunt Ethel unless you want us to! However, if you tell our operators that some is hurting you or someone else then we may have to tell someone, like a SAFE@LAST Manager but we will always remind you of this when you call.

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What can I call SAFE@LAST about?

This is an easy one - anything really.

The helpline is a service for young people who have run away or are thinking of running away from were they usually live. Or if they have been thrown out. There could be many different things attached to this that you want to chat about such as an argument with your parents or carers, finding out you are pregnant or worrying about some bad grades at school.

Whatever it is we promise to listen and help if we can. We won’t judge you or tell you what to do, we will just chat with you to try and find the best solution for your problem.

SAFE@LAST is a service for young people who are 16 and under but if you’re a bit over that age (say 17/18 not 101!) we still may be able to help or at least will know someone who can.

We are based in Dinnington, Sheffield so can only offer practical support (like coming out to meet you) if you are in South Yorkshire. But if you live somewhere else and need to chat about something or don’t know who to call we can still help. Call us and we can always chat to you or let you know of someone else that may be able to help.

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