The Children's Society, which deals with nearly a thousand cases of runaways every year in Bradford, today pleaded for a local safety net for them.

The charity wants to see the police, social services, health and education authorities join forces to offer a co-ordinated answer to the problem and deal with it.

The safety net would involve every local authority in the country setting out clear guidelines about what action each organisation would take to deal with specific situations - to prevent children running away in the first place and to help those who have already left home.

The concern comes in the light of a TV docudrama about the death of Simone Valentine, a 15-year-old girl whose body was found in Manchester on a freezing night in November, 1999.

Following the incident Manchester City Council drew up guidelines aimed at preventing future tragedies.

And The Children's Society hopes Bradford Council will consider similar guidelines to help tackle the problem in the district.

The call comes ahead of the Government's Social Exclusion Report on runaways, expected in the autumn.

The Children's Society's Director for Children and Young People, Penny Dean, said: "Unless a safety net is set up soon in every local authority there will be more children exposed to violence and abuse and whose lives will be at risk."

Bradford has an inter-agency policy, Missing in Yorkshire, which comes into action when young people run away from home.

The initiative is funded by Barnados, Bradford Council Social Services and West Yorkshire Police.

Kath Tunstall, head of Bradford Council Children and Family Services, said: "When the police are informed that young people are found, specially recruited staff visit their homes to see if there are any family problems."

A police spokesman added: "We have procedures set out for dealing with missing young people and we work with other organisations and agencies as appropriate."

Director of Bradford Soup Run John Tempest, who provides food for the homeless, said the safety net idea needed more work.

"The idea seems sound but I'm not sure if it should be Bradford Council who carry it out or other agencies."