Harboring a runaway...

[ccsmod14]

RE: my gf is sad with her family

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us. It sounds like you really want to support your girlfriend and figure out some options for her which is good to hear. We’re here to support you both in whatever way that we can.

It sounds like your girlfriend is unhappy at home, and she wants to be with you. It sounds like you are unsure how your parents would react if she were to stay with you and that’s a totally understandable thing to be thinking through and be concerned about. We’re not legal experts, but generally if you leave without permission from legal guardians as a minor (someone under the age of 18 in most states), they would have the right to make a runaway report. If a report is made, and the police find you they would typically just bring you back home. However, anyone that you stay with could potentially be charged for harboring. It sounds like this is something that your parents might be at risk of if they were to take her in.

We’re here to help work through other possible options with you or your girlfriend, and help support you both through this difficult time. Do not hesitate to call or chat with us, everything is confidential.

Best,
NRS

[Unregistered]

15, Florida, Leaving Home

Ok so I'm having issues at home, everyone seems to always point the finger at me and I feel as everyone has some sort of psychological issue either anger, ADD, and this has always been a neat freak home. But somehow I get all the credit for doing things wrong. My parents (mom and stepfather) argue a lot and always seem to be in a bad mood. I'm in a family of 5 and no one really supports me unless they're in a good mood. You can clearly say this is not a nuclear family. My mom says that I cause a lot a stress on her but I feel like she also throws stress on me, when she gets on me about something I have to do she always gives me a 2 hour lecture then says she's not gonna speak of it again that she's done but she always brings it up out of nowhere with a mother 2 hour lecture. I have become numb to all one tells me and how they feel towards me from so many times I've heard people yell for me doing something wrong. I wanna leave home and my parents are fine with it but don't want me to leave cause they think they'll get in trouble for leaving home since they're my guardians. And my friend and her mom are willing to accept me into they're home and take care of me. I wanna know if its illegal for me to leave and go live with a friend. They'd drive me to school and feed me. Will they get in trouble for accepting me into their home? I won't be under the runaway lists because my parents would be knowing of my absece from home and where I'll be. I would just really like to know if that could happen without my parents getting in trouble and my friend and her family without getting in trouble.

[ccsmod1]

RE: 15, Florida, Leaving Home

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to us. It sounds like your home situation is very stressful. It sounds like you are thinking about moving in with your friend. If your parents give you permission to live outside the home, they are not doing anything illegal as long as they still provide for you. However, it sounds like they don’t want you to leave. Since you are under the age of 18, if you leave home you could be considered a runaway. This means that your parent or legal guardian could call the police, who might force you to return home. Running away is not a crime, however anyone who allows you to stay with them could risk criminal charges for harboring a runaway.
We are not legal experts. Laws are different from state to state, county to county, city to city. In some areas, police might not take a runaway report for youth who are close to turning 18, or they might take a report but not force a youth to return home. How a local police department responds to the situation can vary drastically. A good way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are.
If you have any questions or you want to talk, we are here to listen 24/7. We are looking forward to hearing from you, and wish you the best of luck.

[ccsmod1]

RE:

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to us. It sounds like your home situation is very stressful. It sounds like you are thinking about moving in with your friend. If your parents give you permission to live outside the home, they are not doing anything illegal as long as they still provide for you. However, it sounds like they don’t want you to leave. Since you are under the age of 18, if you leave home you could be considered a runaway. This means that your parent or legal guardian could call the police, who might force you to return home. Running away is not a crime, however anyone who allows you to stay with them could risk criminal charges for harboring a runaway.
We are not legal experts. Laws are different from state to state, county to county, city to city. In some areas, police might not take a runaway report for youth who are close to turning 18, or they might take a report but not force a youth to return home. How a local police department responds to the situation can vary drastically. A good way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are.
If you have any questions or you want to talk, we are here to listen 24/7. We are looking forward to hearing from you, and wish you the best of luck.

[Unregistered]

Re: Harboring a runaway...

If i have a runaway in my house and the police suspect it can the police search without warrant?

[ccsmod3]

Re: Harboring a runaway...

Hello there,

We aren't legal experts, so we cannot say with absolute certainty whether or not the police can search your house without a warrant. Our understanding is that police don't always actively search; however, it might be a possibility if they suspect a runaway is in your home and decide to do a welfare check. Please keep in mind we aren't here to judge you and imagine not knowing is stressful. We can look up local legal aid if you are more comfortable reaching out to a lawyer than police. Hopefully that helps and best of luck to you and the runaway youth.

[Unregistered]

Re: Harboring a runaway...

Hello there,

We aren't legal experts, so we cannot say with absolute certainty whether or not the police can search your house without a warrant. Our understanding is that police don't always actively search; however, it might be a possibility if they suspect a runaway is in your home and decide to do a welfare check. Please keep in mind we aren't here to judge you and imagine not knowing is stressful. We can look up local legal aid if you are more comfortable reaching out to a lawyer than police. Hopefully that helps and best of luck to you and the runaway youth.

Call your local "crisis" line for runaways. They know the laws for your state and also how the local law enforcement work. We have a family friend who ran away a few months ago, parents have not reported her missing. After months of couch surfing she asked to come to our house. She has stayed in school all thru this and has had counseling there so there is a record of what had been going on at home. The "crisis" people told me the parents at this point will have nothing to come after us for because its been months they have not provided care for their child or reported her missing. (but they spent the child support check from the other parent) By doing this and then having the "crisis" people step in once she was at our home she is receiving services and support from them. She is nearing 18 so they have no intentions of moving her back home and as long as she feels safe with us she is welcome to stay.

[ccsmod9]

RE: Harboring a runaway

Hello,
Thanks for posting on the National Runaway Safeline Forum.

It sounds like you’ve had some firsthand experience in dealing with a runaway issue and we thank you for your incite. While this might be true for localized crisis hotlines, we need to reiterate that this is not the claim of the National Runaway Safeline. We maintain that we are not legal experts and refer those with these types of questions to local legal aids or law enforcement. This situation sounds like an isolated incident and we cannot stress enough that this may not always be the case. However, thank you for sharing this personal experience, it sounds like you really helped a person in a crisis.

We just want to make sure that other’s reading this will take the necessary precautions and call the correct legal authorities to answer their questions if they find themselves in a similar situation. Thank you for sharing.

All the best,
NRS

[Guest]

what if your parents abuse you

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, sounds like you want to know if someone could be charged with harboring a runaway when your parents abuse you.

Please know that you do not deserve to be harmed in anyway. You deserve to live in a safe place where you can thrive. You do have the right to report abuse to child protective services. You might contact Child Help at 1-800-422-4453 if that is an option you are considering.

We are not legal experts, but we can speak generally. If your parents file a runaway report and police find you at someone else’s house, that person is at risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. If police find you and you disclose abuse at that time to them, they typically would get child protective services involved at that time. When you are fleeing abuse, it would be hard to charge the person you are staying with harboring a runaway. However, it is always a risk and dependent on police response.

Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you would like to talk through your situation and help with brainstorming on your options. We are here to listen, here to help.

Stay safe,
NRS

[Guest]

I've a question myself. Lets say for a moment one of my friends is a good child and has run away before, and now have learned their lesson. The mother is cruel to the family and only " pumps out children " for government money. After asking to come over to my house and his mother saying she agrees he comes over. But the trouble starts their. After 2 days she texts him saying that she had told him to come home. Which she never did. He reluctantly goes home and upon arrival she grounds him and says that she will report him as a runaway. My question rounds back to this. She gave her permission, and he did go home. Can she still report him as a runaway? And if so why? If not, what are the consequences for her for doing that? Thank you for your time!

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,
Thanks for reaching out to NRS! It sounds like you’re being a really good support system for your friend by reaching out to us on their behalf.
18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. A good way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth.
Thank you again, for looking out for her. Talking to school counselors or teachers about the situation could also be a supportive option. We at NRS are available to talk on the phone 24/7 and we also have chatting service via our website. If you would like to call in or pass along our information to your friend, we are more than happy to talk more in detail about options.

Be well, NRS

[Guest]

So I was recently informed that my brother who is 19 may or may not be with this girl (who is 17) who has run away from home. I'm not sure if my brother has the knowledge that she is a runaway or not but my dad said that the cops are now looking for her and HIM. I'm really concerned as to what could happen to my brother. Especially since his birthday is coming soon. Please let me know. We live in CA

[ccsmod2]

Hello,

We aren't legal experts but we can speak in general terms. If your brother has left with a girl who is 17 years old she would be a considered a runaway. If the police are looking for them both your brother could possibly be charged with harboring a runaway which is a crime. There isn't a way for us to know exactly what will happen to him since it depends on what the police decide to do. We hope this helps to answer some of your concerns.

NRS

[Guest]

I was just wondering what the right thing to do is in the case that your friend is a "runaway", and you weren't aware of this, and they didn't tell you. Can you get in to any trouble for that? In all honesty her mom is psychotic and realistically needs to seek professional help. There have been numerous reports made, but nothing serious enough to get her out of the house. She will be eighteen in just three months, doesn't get in trouble with the law, has a steady income job, safe place to live, and goes to school. So is there any way to legally get her out without emancipation?

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out to NRS for help, on behalf of your friend! It sounds like you’ve been a great support system for her.
So, in a runaway situation, youth cannot be arrested. Running away isn’t an arrest able offense. The only time we see people getting in trouble with the law in a runaway situation, is when adults let ruanways stay with them, they’re charged with Harboring a Runaway. Since she’s turning 18 in the near future, it’s not common for police to take a runaway report on her. We’re not legal experts, so we always offer to call out to local police with youth to find out about their protocols. If your friend needs a runaway shelter, please tell her to reach out to us, so we can help her!
Our safeline is open 24/7 and we also have a chatting service via our website!
Be well, NRS

[Guest]

I’m 16 and live in RI and I wanna go live with my boyfriend who is 18 and he lives in PA but I’ve been abused and am still living at home and I’ve talked to my mom and she won’t let me but I don’t wanna be here and I don’t feel safe but I don’t wanna go into foster care or anything. If she filed for a runaway report would they go all the way to PA just to look for me?

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We are very sorry to hear that you have been abused at home. You don’t deserve to be treated that way and it is understandable that you would like to get out of that situation. You do have the option of reporting the abuse. Child Help (1-800-422-4453) is a great resource to help with abuse reporting and information about transferring custody. You could also ask your mother if she would allow you to stay with another family member. We are not legal experts, so we cannot say for sure if the police would go all the way to PA to find you. Since are under 16, and you decide to leave home without your parent’s consent, they could file a runaway report on you. With a runaway report, if the police find you they would return you home. Running away is not illegal but your boyfriend could get in trouble for harboring a runaway if you went to live with him. If you do decide to leave home and be with your boyfriend, we encourage you to have a plan that ensures your safety. Please feel free to contact us directly if you have any other questions via our 24 hour crisis hotline (1-800-786-2929), email, or live chat.

[Guest]

Can someone get power of attorney over a kid who ran away from foster care who is almost 17

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out today. We are not legal experts so we cannot answer your question with certainty.

If a youth is in foster care, the state is their guardian so the youth does not have the ability so authorize power of attorney as a minor. You might reach out to the youth's caseworker to see if it is possible to get power of attorney or to adopt the youth. We have a national database of legal aid resources here at NRS if you would like to speak to a legal expert about the situation. Please call or chat us for those legal resources.

Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you ever need. We are available by phone 24/7 and here to help.

Best,

NRS

[Guest]

Hello not sure if anyone here can help me. My situation is I have a 15 year old daughter that is currently a runaway in Florida. I live in PA. She wants to come home to me but her father will not allow it just out of being spiteful. We... Me and her father... Just went through all this numerous times with her 16 year old sister being a run away. Cys had been to his house and he always convinces them to leave... Or tells them they can come see the house but he has a bunch of pet snakes and reptiles... Most people are afraid and don't go any further... He does not have custody of it girls... Is has always been us working together when it comes to deciding where they live and so forth. I'm trying to find out if I can get her here what are chances that they will make her go back to him in FL... And I have three younger daughters here right now to and don't want to go to jail and them lose me... But I can't leave my 15 year old or on the streets in FL? Any advice would help ty!

[ccsmod3]

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you really care about your daughter and would like to have her in your home.

It sounds like you and her father have had open communication about decision with your children in the past but are having difficulty at this time. We are not legal experts here at NRS, but if you have custody over your children, it would be your right to be responsible for your children and make decisions for them (as in where they live). One thing we suggest when there is fear of getting in trouble with the law, is to reach out to your local police department’s non-emergency line and ask them how they would respond to someone in your situation. In addition, one thing you could look into or ask the local police is how you could press charges for harboring if you have custody and your husband is refusing to let your daughter come live with you. If you are interested in legal resources, we can look up any resources near you in your area if you call into our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY or reach out to us through chat.

If you want to give your daughter our number, we can see what resources are in her area (shelter, traveler’s aid, hotlines), please feel free!
Best of luck!

NRS