Frequently asked questions

Q. If you visit me, how did you find out about me?

A. Social workers, teachers or youth offending workers can refer you to our service, but we always check that they have told you they are doing this. We usually hear about young people who have gone missing from the police.but we work independently from them.

Q. Are you from social services?

A. We are a Barnardo’s service that is young person focused and confidential for young people. We are trained youth workers and social workers, but we are different from social services.

Q. Do you tell anyone else what I say to you?

A. We are a confidential service which means we will only share information that you have told us if we have your agreement first, or if we are concerned about you or someone else's safety. For example, if you told us about a crime that was going to happen we would have to pass that onto the police.

Q. Where can I meet you?

A. We can visit you at home or anywhere else you feel comfortable, like school or a café.

Q. What do you offer parents?

A. The young person is our focus, but we can also offer support to parents. We can work with a young person and a parent or carer to help them to work out any difficulties together or with a parent on a one-to-one basis.

Q. What can you offer me?

A. We can offer you someone to talk to in confidence, away from home if you wish. We will listen to you and respect your views and feelings.

We can speak to other workers on your behalf, like social workers or teachers. We can give you information about other services or places for help and advice. We can talk to your parents or carers on your behalf, if you wish. We can talk about sex, relationships, friends, drugs or alcohol, so you can have someone who listens and talks over any problems you have.

Q. What would a visit from you be like?

A. We aim to offer you a sensitive service when you return home after going missing. This means that we are not there to ‘have a go’ at you. We will give you the chance to speak to the worker on your own if you wish. We will look with you at what led up to you going missing and what happened while you were missing. We aim to help you to keep safe in the future.

Q. What if I don’t want to be involved with Barnardo's Missing Service?

A. That is fine. Meeting with us is totally your choice and you can stop your involvement whenever you like - just tell a service worker.