MANY youngsters living on the streets are not receiving help to deal with their problems, according to a report published today.

They struggle to receive any support from elsewhere after home life becomes impossible, says a study by the charity Railway Children.

Research among 103 children and young people who are or were “detached” from home or care, while under the age of 16, found that only a quarter received interventions to help them with their difficulties.

“Most children and young people did not seek formal support because so many of their experiences, for example, violence and being on the streets, became normalised, being reinforced by others around them as well as through their life processes and experiences,” the report says.

“Some children and young people identified barriers to seeking support such as not knowing where to go for help or having to be self-reliant to survive.”

While most of the children and young people were at risk and experiencing harm, many were not known to social services.

The majority of their experiences of family life had been fraught with problems.

More than half experienced physical abuse with fathers most frequently the perpetrator, despite the relatively low numbers of fathers involved with their children.

A small number were sexually abused by step-relatives and by family friends.

Many of their parents had substance misuse, domestic violence and mental health issues, which had an effect on their ability to care for their children.

A fifth of the children and young people grew up in abject poverty, the majority living in social housing in low-income families.

For many, violence was part of daily life in the home, in their local neighbourhood, at school and on the streets.