The National Runaway Switchboard: Interview with Maureen Blaha

Episode 67: Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is an interview with Maureen Blaha, the Executive Director of the National Runaway Switchboard (http://www.nrscrisisline.org/). So, if you're a social worker and you work in outpatient or inpatient or residential or you're in a school-based setting and you have a client who says I'm out of here. I am running away from home or maybe they don't even say I'm out of here. Maybe they're saying I don't know how I can live with my parents here. So, what do you do? What are some resources for you? If you're in a school setting and you're working with groups of kids, are there curricula that you can get a hold of, free curricula that you can use with your clients? Well, these are all setup questions because, of course, the answers are in today's episode of the Social Work Podcast. Maureen Blaha, the Executive Director, talks about the National Runaway Switchboard which was established in 1971 and serves as the federally-designated national communication system for homeless and runaway youth. Recognized as the oldest hotline of its kind in the world, NRS with the support of more than 150 volunteers handles an average of 100,000 calls annually. NRS provides crisis intervention, referrals to local resources and education and prevention services to youth, families and community members throughout the country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Over 13,000 youth have been reunited with their families through the NRS home free program done in collaboration with Greyhound Lines, Inc. The NRS Crisis Hotline is 1-800-RUNAWAY and for more information, you can visit their website at http://www.1800runaway.org. In today's interview, Maureen and I talked a little bit about what's different for kids who are runaways and homeless compared to 1971 when the Switchboard was established. We also talked about why the end of the school year is an at-risk time for teens in crisis and talk about some signs the parents can look for, what things parents, teachers and adults can do to address this issue of teens in crisis. She talks a little bit about the use of social media including a new live chat service that has been implemented on the website and how that's a way to connect with teens who maybe don't feel comfortable calling but who feel very comfortable chatting. And finally, we talked a bit about how they got Chris "Ludacris" Bridges involved to do their most recent public service announcement. And now, on to Episode 67 of the Social Work Podcast: The National Runaway Switchboard: Interview with Maureen Blaha