Moving Out in PA

[Unregistered]

I am 17 in Pa.
My dad just took everything away.
I want to know if it is possible to move in with my friend and her mom without parental consent?

[ccsmod3]

Re

Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Switchboard. It sounds like you’re in a difficult situation and we are sorry to hear that your dad took everything away. We are not legal experts, so we will try and answer your question as generally as possible. Typically speaking, running away is just a status offense. However, many parents/guardians will file a runaway report, so that they are not charged with neglect while the youth is out of their care.

Oftentimes, the time between 17and 18 can be a gray area and it may vary by region as far as how Police react. Police do not always actively look for youth; however, if they do come across a youth who has been reported as a runaway, they may send them back home. Most states also have laws associated with running away such as harboring a runaway, crossing state lines and/or contributing to the delinquency of a minor. To our knowledge, these crimes are just misdemeanors, and more information could be found by contacting local law enforcement. So, it may be possible for your friend’s mom to get in trouble if you stay without permission, but you’d have to contact law enforcement or a legal professional to know for certain.

Some questions to think about might be:
- Do you think your dad would file a runaway report?
- Would he press harboring charges if he discovered where you were staying?
- Is your friend’s mom willing to risk harboring you as a runaway?

Another resource that might be helpful is the Juvenile Law Center which operates out of PA. They offer quite a bit of information on their website, www.jlc.org. We hope that helps and wish you luck. If you’d like to further discuss your situation, we can be reached 24/7 by calling 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). Or, if you’d prefer we offer a Live Chat which will be available tomorrow from 4:30 to 10 pm Central time.

[Unregistered]

Question

How long does someone have to be gone for them to be considered a runaway?

[ccsmod7]

Re: Moving Out in PA

Thank you for reaching out with your question. Often time’s police may say that you have to wait 24 to 48 hours in order to make a runaway or missing persons report. In regards to youth (in most states this is considered anyone under the age of 1 a parent/guardian can report them missing as soon as they realize they are gone and/or they have left home without permission. You do not have to wait 24 hours. If it is a missing adult then they usually do require a person to wait 24 to 48 hours before reporting them as missing. Now we are not associated with the police so it may be best to try and contact your local police. They will be able to tell you what their policy is in regards to making a runaway and missing persons report. Hopefully that information helps. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us at our 24 hour hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). Take care.

[Unregistered]

Leaving Pa

I am 16 years old and I live in Pa. I am I really good kid and have never been in trouble with the law in anyway shape or form. I always go to school and get descent grades. I want to leave to be with someone I love. That person lives in Georgia , with his/her grandma. His/her grandma is completely ok with me going down there & staying with them. I would go to highshcool there , have a job , and finish school. My parents do not want me to leave and runaway to live down there. My questions are: If I were to runaway and have someone drive me to Georgia , what would be some of the things that could happen to me? What could my parents do? Could they make me go back home?

[Unregistered]

Running away in Pa

I'm 17 and from Pa. What are the laws for running away in my state?

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to us and asking questions about leaving home. Unfortunately, we are not legally trained here so we can’t say for sure what would happen if you were to leave home. Can you tell us a little more about what is going on? It is our general understanding that if a youth leaves home before turning 18, their legal guardians may have the option to file a runaway report with the local police department. It is our general understanding that when a youth leaves home it may be considered a status offense but that does vary state to state. If your legal guardian were to file a report and the police located you, they may take you to the police department or return you home.

If you would like to talk more or explore your options, you can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and talk with someone. We also have online chat services that are available from 4:30 PM-11:30 PM (CST) and that can be found on our website.

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck!

~NRS

[Unregistered]

15 Running away in Pa

i am 15 years old and live in Pennsylvania. im a good kid and never been in trouble with the law. I want to run away to Georgia to live with someone i love. I would move in with his/her grandma. his/her grandma is ok with me coming down to live with them. If i were to runaway and stay with them , i would attend school there while having a job. My parents will not let me move down there with the person i love. i am highly considering running away. If i were to have a person drive me down to Georgia and i would live with the person , what could possibly happen to me? Could my parents take me away and bring me back home? last question would anyone else get in trouble? ( if there were to be any )

[ccsmod7]

Re: Moving Out in PA

Thanks so much for reaching out and telling us a bit about your situation. It sounds like you are going through a tough time right now and thinking about leaving home. You mentioned that you are not getting along with your parents and it sounds like you have a safe place to go but you are concerned about what would happen if you left. What’s going on at home that is making you think of leaving? It’s good to hear that you have a safe place to go and people that care about you if you do leave but it’s understandable that you do have concerns.

In most states the age of majority, when you can leave home without permission, is 18. At 16 you would still be considered a minor and your parents would have the right to make a runaway report if you left without their permission. Usually what would happen if the police were to find you is they would make you return home. One thing to consider is if you are crossing state lines there is a possibility that the people transporting you could possibly get in trouble. Do you think there is anything that would make living at home a better situation or any way your parents may allow you to go?

We want you to know if you ever need to talk through your situation more in depth or looking for any further resources or support you can always reach out to the National Runaway Safeline. Our crisis phone line is open 24 hours a day and you can reach us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have an online chat that is available from 4:30p to 11:30p CST daily. If you do have any more specific questions or need additional resources reach out to us anytime. All of our services are completely confidential and anonymous. Take care.

[Unregistered]

Running away in PA

So I'm 16 and my parents are divorced. Right now both of them have custody so I live with both of them. I now want to live with my mom because my dad is horrible to me. A court session is placed but I don't know what will happen and I want to be prepared. My dad has to sign the custody papers but he won't. I don't ever want to see him again and if I have to then I need a plan. I was thinking of staying with a friend I know who is over 18 and lives in a different state. What I want to know is what would be the consequences? If the police find me would they take me back to my parents? If I got caught would my friend also get in trouble? What would they do to me if I got caught?

[ccsmod12]

RE: Running away in PA

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are dealing with a very difficult situation at home. It is great that you are thinking about a plan about what you would do if you decided to leave. If you do choose to leave and go to a different state, your legal guardians (parents) do have the right to file a runaway report on you. If they file a runaway report on you, there is a chance that the police would look for you and if they found you they might bring you back home to your legal guardians. Because being a runaway is considered a status offense (not a crime), it is likely that you will not be punished but you will just be sent back home to your legal guardians. As far as staying with your friend goes, there is a chance that they could be charged with a crime called "harboring a runaway." We can't say with certainty what would happen, but that is a possibility. If you have more questions or want to get more information, feel free to give us a call on out 24/7 hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have an online chat service available every night from 4:30-11:30 PM CST through our website at www.1800runaway.org. We hope that this information helps and that you are able to reach out to us again if you have more questions.

-NRS

[Unregistered]

Lots of domestic problems

Hi, I'm 14 and I live in PA. My parents fight all of the time and it gets terrifying sometimes (domestic abuse on some occasions). I don't want foster care or child protective services, so I was thinking about running away to my friend's house who I made sure my parents don't know so they won't find me. My whole plan is to take the few hundred dollars I have saved up and take out the SIM in my phone and switch to prepaid cards from Wal-Mart or something with it so they can't track me theoretically. I was going to then go to my friends house with the necessities a student and everyday person needs. EX: a laptop, toothbrush, clothes, etc. I was going to get a job once I moved in to pay for living there and food to reduce my burden. My parents bought me my laptop for my birthday though. And my phone as well. Also , my friend and his parents are okay with me living with them. And I planned to stay with them until the end of high school (freshman now). I also have braces. Okay so is anything I'm planning to do breaking the law? And would the laptop and phone be considered my parents? Also what do I do about my braces? Would I have to ask my friend to take me up to the orthrodontist and change payer? How would I take care of insurance too? Would my parents cancel it and I can apply for new insurance with my friend's parents as guardian? If I did break any laws or if anyone that would be involved broke any laws what would the consequences be for the person breaking it? Would going to get emancipated help my situation? Also I've never been in legal trouble before, and my grades are in the top 5 in my school so would any legal trouble pull me out of the honors track or honor society or any chance at scholarship with colleges? Thanks in advance for any answers.

[ccsmod10]

RE: Moving Out in PA

Hello there,

Thank you for reaching out to us. We are sorry to hear you are having problems at home. Nobody deserves to live in an abusive household. The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 may be able to help you and the abused parent find a safe place to go. It also sounds like you are planning on running away to a friend's house and stay long term. Have you talked to them about the legal implications of moving in permanently? Just to let you know, we are not legal experts. However we can explain a little about the runaway laws.

Technically it's not against the law for you to run away from home. In most places it's considered a status offence. However, anyone you would be caught staying with could possibly be charged with 'harboring a runaway'. Is their family willing to take that risk for you? Also, your legal guardians do have the right to report you missing. Do you think they would call the police on the family that would be harboring you?

You also mentioned having medical concerns if you leave. Have you talked to your orthodontist about your plan? You also expressed concern about your school work. Have you talked to anyone at school about what might happen? Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we cannot tell you what you should or should not do. We can be reached at any time at 1-800-RUNAWAY(7868-2929) or by live chat at www.1800runaway.org from 4:30pm-11:30pm Central Standard Time. We wish you the best of luck and hope to hear from you soon.


- NRS

[Unregistered]

18 in less than a month, want to move out.

Hey, since I will be 18 in less than a month, is it illegal to tell my father that I want to move out?

[ccsmod1]

re: 18 in less than a month, want to move out.

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us for help. 18 is the age of majority. This means that you will be considered a legal adult in one month. As an adult, you can live wherever you choose and your father has no legal rights over you. If you have any questions, please give us a call. It sounds like you are in a difficult situation, and we are here to help you talk through your options.