A UNIQUE Warrington project, which aims to reduce the number of teenage runaways, has been hailed a success by a Government department.

The Relationship Centre's TalkDon't Walk project, which provides support to young runaways and their families, has been praised by the Department of Further Education and Skills training programme for its success.

Mary Galashan, from the department, said: "It is important when training to relay best practices to increase understanding. We needed a case study that could demonstrate the success of integrated working and Talk..Don't Walk does this on a daily basis."

Alison McCausland, project manager for TalkDon't Walk, said: "We successfully work with a number of key agencies such as Connexions, Youth Offending Teams, the police and others to ensure that the needs of our clients are met at all times.

"Integrated working is paramount to our success and for this to be recognised in a national training programme is a great achievement."

Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Cheshire Police, said: "Dealing with young people who have run away from home is costly and resource intensive for the police and partner agencies. In only its first and second year the TalkDon't Walk project has saved Cheshire Constabulary £1million through the reduction in the number of runaways in the Warrington area and their subsequent involvement as offenders or becoming victims of crime.

"This kind of project is paramount in proactively offering support to young people and their families before it reaches crisis point. The second year results show that the Talk...Don't Walk project is effective and is proving that early intervention can have long-term success."

To find out more about integrated working, visit the Every Child Matters website at www.ecm.gov.uk/integratedworking For more information about the work of Talk..Don't Walk or to make a donation, call the helpline on 0800 085 2136 or visit www.talkdontwalk.org.uk.