Will They Send Me Home?

[Guest]

I am planning to leave home because of emotional, not physical abuse. I know that emotional abuse isn't recognised as much as physical, and that's why I'm asking this question.

I've made my final decision to go to a place called Covenant in DC. A friend with experience told me that it was a very good place that really helps you out.

My question is, if my parents come in contact with them and tell them to bring me home or come to pick me up, but they know I'm in danger, will they still send me home? I'm planning on going to the shelter, staying for a little bit, and then getting help to be place in a group home, or just a better home in general. During this process, can I just request that my parents aren't allowed to see me? Or do I have to go back eventually.

That's what I'm scared of. I'm scared that I'll just be sent back and things will get worse for me.

[ccsmod8]

Hello there –

Thanks for reaching out to us here on our public forum at the National Runaway Safeline. Hopefully by helping you answering these questions that someone else that is reading through this thread can be helped as well. From what we have read in your post it sounds like you have been dealing with a lot at home. No one deserves to be treated like that at all. Just know that you always have the right to report any abuse (physical, mental, sexual, or neglect/abandonment) to your local police department or child protective service in your state. You have rights too. If calling out to child protective services is something that you don’t really feel comfortable with doing, you can always give us a call to help answer any questions about the process or to walk you through what steps there are.

Now it’s great to hear that you are looking ahead in your future and thinking about places that you can go so that you can get some help. Now you didn’t include you age anywhere so we aren’t sure if Covenant house in DC is going to be the best fit. It’s to our knowledge that the Covenant House doesn’t need to get parental consent in order for you to stay there, but that is mainly due to the fact that the services are for those 18 until 24. So if you are under the age of 18, then they might not let you stay there. But if you were to go to a youth shelter, most have policies that require them to reach out to your parents or legal guardian to let them know you are trying to either stay there or get services from them; they will have to consent to it. If they don’t then you will not be able to stay there. Another thing this that to be placed into a group home, you will need to go through child protective services and have them remove parental rights from your parents. Then they will seek to place you somewhere like a group home or foster home.

Hope that information helps! If you give us a call on our 24/7 fully confidential hotline, at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we could help answer some of those questions you have and could potentially help you brainstorm a solution to the issues you are having.

[Guest]

Thanks for answering. I am only 15 years old, but I read on their website that there is a place for 12-24 years. If that doesn't work, I also looked into AIRS in Baltimore, Manna House in DC, and Sasha Bruce in DC (It also has a branch in PG County, MD). What about those? Also, does CPS even care about emotional abuse? How do they deal with it or prove it?

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for responding. Just so you know, we are able to give out local resources via phone or chat. Please call or chat us to discuss emergency shelters and transitional living programs (TLPs) in your area. Typically, the longer stay shelters like Covenant House are for youth either starting at ages 16 or 18. Some agencies and Covenant House locations have emergency housing for younger youth, and have the TLPs limited to older youth. Again, please call or chat us to go over specific qualifications of each shelter/TLP resource.

You do have the right to report emotional abuse to CPS, and in no way is any kind of harm okay. Unfortunately, it can be harder to prove that emotional abuse is highly dangerous compared to physical abuse. So if you do decide to report emotional abuse, you might be given family services or a caseworker rather than be removed if the abuse is not found to be highly dangerous. You might contact the expert child advocates at Child Help if you have additional questions about what reporting might look like for you.

Unfortunately, we are only able to respond to you once more on this forum since our forum services are limited. Please call or chat if you can, especially since you are interested in learning about shelters and TLPs in your area. We are here 24/7 via phone and truly want to help.

Stay safe,

NRS