Im afraid for my best friend

[Unregistered]

My best friend's not in a good environment at home right now, ive been so worried about her. she lives like 2000 miles away and we drove her up to stay with me two months and it was great, but then the day we drive her home its like a nightmare. her mom's been going crazy just screaming at her and her dad, shes on something bad. they tried to leave and go somewhere else but she wouldnt let them out of the house. she broke my friends laptop and im scared she'll break her phone too and ill have no more way to get in contact with her. lately her moms been physically attacking her too. shes only 15, almost 16. im so scared for her, i want to get her out of that environment somehow but i dont know what she could do. shes too scared to call the cops, shes worried she'll get placed in a foster home and that we'll be separated. i wish she could just stay here with me but her mom would just call the police and ugh. the only relatives she has are her grandparents and theyre moving away in a few days and she wont have anyone nearby and im just so scared for her. she means the world to me i just want her to be safe, i feel so sick worrying about her. i wish she could just come back up here so i could keep her safe. idk what to do i feel useless.

[ccsmod7]

Re: Im afraid for my best friend

Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing this information about your friend. It sounds like you are so concerned about her and really care about her well being. You mentioned that things at home are pretty scary for her. It sounds like there may be abuse going on in the home but your friend is concerned about getting the police involved. You or your friend have every right to file a report with child services and let someone know what is going on. It's understandable that your friend may be worried about what would happen, it's always a possibility they may take her out of the home if it is not safe, but it's also going to be difficult to get anything done without letting someone know what is going on.

It's tough because there is not an easy solution to this problem. It sounds like you are doing your best to be there for her and to comfort her when all of this is happening. You are obviously a big support for her. If you are having trouble getting in contact with her and you are concerned about her safety you can always call her local police and have them do a wellness check. If there is ever a time that you would like to discuss this situation more in depth or you want to pass our number along to your friend there is always someone here to listen. We have a 24 hour hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or you can reach us through our live chat from 4:30p to 11:30p CST. Our services are confidential and anonymous and there is always someone available to discuss safe options and resources. There is always someone here to listen and here to help. Take care.

[Unregistered]

Thank you for the advice. I had a question. If just her dad agreed to her staying with us but not her mom, would that be legal/could she get taken back home? her dad has power of attourney, but im not really sure what that means. thank you

[ccsmod7]

Re: Im afraid for my best friend

Thanks for reaching out to us again. Some of these questions are a bit difficult to answer because they are more legal custody questions. If dad has power of attorney that may mean that he has the majority of custody even if mom may have visitation rights. So it’s very possible that dad still may be able to file a runaway report or have the police return the youth home. If your friend is in contact with her mom she may want to ask about the specifics of the custody agreement. It may also be helpful to reach out to a legal aid in her area to get more information on her rights.

Again if you do want to discuss further options or need help finding resources in your area you can always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or live chat with us from 4:30p to 11:30p CST.