National Runaway Switchboard
| Founded | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Type | 24-hour federally designated national communications system |
| Focus | The National Runaway Safeline provides education and solution-focused interventions, offers non-sectarian, non-judgmental support, respects confidentiality, collaborates with volunteers, and responds to at-risk youth and their families 24 hours a day. |
| Location |
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Area served
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United States and territories, including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam |
| Method | free 24-hour services, expertise in all youth-related issues and as an information clearinghouse of youth services. |
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Key people
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Maureen Blaha, Executive Director |
|
Employees
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25 |
|
Volunteers
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150+ |
| Slogan | Keeping America’s runaway and at-risk youth safe and off the streets |
| Website | 1800RUNAWAY.org |
The National Runaway Safeline (also known as NRS or 1-800-RUNAWAY; formerly known as National Runaway Switchboard) is the national communications system designated by the United States federal government for runaway and homeless youth, their parents and families, teens in crisis, and others who might benefit from its services. It is confidential, anonymous, non-judgmental, non-directive, and free. The hotline number is 1-800-RUNAWAY. Calls are answered every day of the year, 24 hours a day.
NRS answers well over 100,000 calls a year from all states and U.S. territories. In 2008, forty-nine percent of the crisis calls were from youth. Half of the youths making crisis calls were on the street. Some of the problems identified by callers to 1-800-RUNAWAY include: family dynamics, peer and social problems, school education, physical abuse, and alcohol or drug use. Some simply wish to talk and need an attentive listener. They can also obtain referrals to legal resources in their community and employment programs. NRS maintains a database of over 16,000 organizations throughout the country to which callers can be referred, and other specialized hotlines that serve youth and families.
Parents or other relatives of runaways also frequently turn to the hotline to find help in learning what they can do about a child who has run away, how to go about making an official report, and to get emotional support during the crisis. Often, parents call not because their children already are missing, but because they fear they might run away in the future or because of ongoing problems involving discipline, drug abuse or alcohol abuse, truancy, etc.
Runaways can use the NRS message service to forward messages to parents or guardians after they have run away, if they do not wish to call them directly. Parents or guardians can, in turn, leave messages with the NRS for a youth who has run away to pick up. The hope is that these relays will form a foundation for improved communication between the runaway and the family and make reunification more likely. NRS also can make conference calls to connect runaways with their family members if they do wish to call them but don't have money for the call, or if they wish an NRS to moderate the conversation and help to smooth the discussion.
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Wikipedia