AT LEAST one child goes missing in Carmarthenshire almost daily, new figures have revealed.

A Dyfed-Powys Police report showed how more than 1,000 children and young people fled their homes in the region last year, with 344 going missing in Carmarthenshire – the highest number in any of the four counties in the force area.

In a bid to reduce the number of runaways in the area, a new policy offering specialist help to those in need has been rolled out.

The £80,000-a-year scheme, run by Welsh homeless charity Llamau, aims to identify the causes prompting young people to leave home while building a database of places runaways are likely to go.

The three-year project was developed by Dyfed-Powys Police Commissioner, Christopher Salmon, who said: “No one is more important to us than our children.

“I want to protect those who are most vulnerable.”

The programme is aimed in particular at the 150-plus young adults who repeatedly went missing last year, some of whom ran away up to seven times.

The confidential service offers young people the chance to discuss their problems with professionals who understand their situations.

Frances Beecher, chief executive of Llamau, said: “Children and young people who are missing are in grave danger, it’s essential that we find out why they were missing.

“We can support them to understand the danger they were in, as well as helping them resolve any issues that led to this.”