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Should I tell anyone?


We hope what you see here helps.  If you are feeling like running away or are away from home, we are here to listen.

Call or Text 116 000. For free and in confidence.

Not being able to talk to someone when you have a problem or a difficult secret can be really hard. It can feel very lonely if you don’t feel you can speak about something that is worrying you.

If you have done something bad and it’s making you feel guilty, or something has happened to you, it can be hard to keep it in and not tell anyone. If you have been hurt, bullied or abused, you might have been threatened and told not to tell anyone. You might have been involved with something that is illegal and worry that you or someone will get in trouble. You might be worried about a friend or family member and think that by saying something, you are going to get them into trouble or they will be cross with you for sharing.

Problems shouldn’t need to be secret, and you shouldn’t have to deal with it on your own. We know that it can be really hard to talk about what is happening. For some people, it takes a long time to build confidence and trust and get some help for themselves or other people.

It is important that you know there is always someone you can tell who can help. Parents, carers and other family and friends should want to know and help you, but it might be too hard to say, or it might be they are part of the problem.

Teachers, doctors, youth workers and social workers all want to listen to young people and help them with their problems. If you don’t feel you like you can talk to anyone you know or someone face to face, you could try and talk to a confidential service like a helpline.

See our advice section for lots of services that can help, and look below for some suggestions. If you want to tell Runaway Helpline, we won’t judge you and we would be really happy to listen.

You don’t have to speak, you could write down your problems by text or email.

You don’t have to say who you are and you can talk through the whole problem and decide what you want to do to make things better for you.

Say Something

We can help you to say something if you want to let the police know about what has been happening to you or someone else. We can pass information for you without knowing your name, so you can stay anonymous if you want. This would help if you don’t want to get in trouble, or you don’t want other people to find out that you told someone.

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The Runaway Helpline can only provide services to children and young people within the United Kingdom, and information and advice on this site relates to the UK only.

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