Leading UK mobile marketing and communications company Txtlocal are working with SAFE@LAST, a unique and innovative charity providing a full range of services for young people at risk due to running away, and providing services ranging from prevention to crisis intervention in South Yorkshire.

SAFE@LAST needed a way for vulnerable young people to easily, cheaply and safely access their advice services. Their obvious choice was online SMS.

The facility for young people to text the helpline is provided through Txtlocal’s award winning control panel, where users can be in a position to text thousands of people in a matter of minutes. SAFE@LAST advertise the keyword and short code number that young people can send an initial text to, by texting SAFE to 60777. The charity can then reply to them, can have a text conversation and offer advice and guidance.

Clare Sherratt, of SAFE@LAST said “Text messages are a familiar and regular form of communication for young people to feel comfortable with. As such we have seen a huge amount of success with young people contacting us in this way. For some it has helped to reduce the risks of running away and had a long lasting positive impact on their lives.”

SAFE@LAST have enjoyed Txtlocal services for a number of years, and have been happy with the results due to a constant flow of positive feedback from young people who they’ve supported.

Clare concluded, “Having a facility where young people can communicate with us via text message has increased the number of contacts to our helpline services and so made a real difference to vulnerable children helping to keep them safe”.