Foster Care?

[Unregistered]

Me and my friend are wanting to runaway and go into foster care. Would they just put us back with our parents? I only want to go away for my junior year of high school. I plan on finishing this quarter(1st) then going away and coming back after the year is finished. I don't know if that is possible or not.. Also, what are the odds of my friend and I staying at the same home if any of this is possible. I would feel much better living with her than not. Thank you.

[ccsmod11]

re: Foster Care?

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like there are things that you and your friend are going through that are making you want to go away for a little while. Your friend and you seem really close and supportive of one another, it is great that you two have each other.

It seems like you and your friend want to go into foster care, we are not are not legal experts here which means that we are only able to speak in general terms. In most states, in order to try and be put into a foster home, there has to be a reason for separating a child and their parents, like abuse and/or neglect. Meaning that a child abuse report would need to be filed. If you or your friend are being abused and want to file an abuse report, you all are able to give us a call and we would be more than willing to file a report with you. Every foster care system has their own guidelines in placing youths with families so it will not be clear if you and your friend are able to stay together. Another thing you might want to consider is reach out to us and we can try and brainstorm other options with you.

If you are thinking of running away from home, we want to let you know that your parents would be able to file a runaway report if you were found by police you may have to return back home to your parents. There is also a risk that the people you are staying with may be charged with harboring a runaway. As we mentioned, we are not legal experts here, perhaps the best way you would be able to get more accurate answers is by reaching out to your local police department and asking some general questions.

Again, we are happy that you have reached out to us. Sounds like you are trying to work through your options and we are here to support you. If you would like to talk about your situation further you can reach us at our 24 hour service at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us through our website. We wish you the best of luck and hope to hear from you soon.

Best,

NRS