This website is for information only and should not be considered as a substitute for seeking appropriate advice. So far as permissible by law, Missing People, the charity that operates Runaway Helpline, does not accept liability to any person relating to the use of any information on this website.

The Services of Missing People are confidential.  If we did think you or someone else was at risk of serious harm, we may need to let someone else know – but we’d always try to work with you first to get the help you want.  We cannot guarantee a confidential service under circumstances where our policy or the law dictates a breach of confidentiality, for example in the case of terrorism, legal compulsion, or where we judge there to be a high risk of serious risk of harm to you or another and you have given identifying details in your call, email or text.  We may need to pass your information on to another party.

If you are worried about confidentiality, you may wish to remain anonymous and may not want to give us identifying information such as your surname, home address and phone number until you have agreed how we can help you.

Due to limited resources we are only able to respond to chat, emails and SMS received in English. However, if you can contact us by phone we have the facility to offer support via a confidential third party organisation in other languages.

For more information on our confidentiality policy please email: services@missingpeople.org.uk

For the purposes of training and monitoring service quality, calls to our services may be listened in to by additional members of staff or volunteers. All of the charity’s staff and volunteers are bound by our confidentiality policy. Calls and texts to all our services cannot be traced by Missing People and calls are not recorded.

We will retain information about your web chats with us for no more than 6 months.  The policy for other data communicated though other channels, e.g. email, SMS is currently under review (Nov. 2016).

Feedback and Complaints

Got a comment, praise or complaint regarding Missing People’s services? Please click here for details of our feedback and complaints policy.

Use of this site is provided by Runaway Helpline on behalf of Missing People and is subject to the following terms and conditions. Missing People reserves the right to change the Terms and Conditions at any time by posting changes online.

1. Use of site

This site contains information for personal use only, and must not be reproduced on any other website or for commercial gain.

2. Links

Missing People must approve links to the site prior to their creation. Please use the address below.

3. Copyright and Trade Marks

Missing People or its content suppliers own the intellectual property rights of any material used on the site including text, video, photographs and pictures. Unauthorised use including reproduction, storage, modification, distribution or publication without prior consent is prohibited.

The names, logos and all related design marks, slogans, product and service names are the trade names, trade marks or service marks of Missing People and Runaway Helpline must not be used without consent.

If you have any queries or complaints about these Terms and Conditions please email Missing People at support@missingpeople.org.uk or write to Missing People PO Box 28908, London, SW14 7ZU.

4. Moderation

Missing People has a strict policy to not respond to, or immediately remove any postings on its social media platforms, blog and website, that:

• contains any material which is defamatory
• contains any material which is obscene or offensive
• infringes any copyright, database rights, trade mark or other intellectual property right or other right of any other person be likely to deceive any person
• contains any material which constitutes or encourages conduct that could be considered a criminal offence, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise be contrary to the law
• is made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party such as a contractual duty or obligation of confidentiality
• is likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person
• is likely to disrupt our service in any way
• gives the impression it emanates from us where this is not the case
• advocates, promote or assist any unlawful act, for example copyright, trade mark infringement, or computer misuse
• puts a missing person at greater risk
• signposts vulnerable people to information we do not deem suitable or reliable