Harboring a runaway...

[Guest]

My best friend is stuck at home with an abusive parent and a mother that refuses to leave. The mother was going to and even contacted on of the safe places. Her mother came home drunk and now says she rufuses to leave the father. My best friend has anxiety and depression she is going to be fifteen soon (I’m fifteen as well) can I legally get her in Indiana? She refuses to call child Protection Services or the police department or any other family and I am worried. Please respond ASAP.

[ccsmod5]

Thank you so much for reaching out to try to advocate for your friend. It sounds like you care about her and she’s lucky to have a friend like you who cares about her safety. While we’re not legal experts, we can share that 18 is the age your friend can leave home without parental consent. If she leaves without consent, her parents would have the right to file a runaway report. If the police are able to locate her, she can share with them that there is abuse going on at home as they are not supposed to return a youth back to an unsafe situation without investigating it. If your friend thinks that her parents will not file a runaway report, there would generally be no issues as the police wouldn’t know to look for her. Harboring a runaway is a charge that can happen, but generally only applies to adults who house runaways and in general is a pretty rare charge.

What you’ve described does sound like it would qualify as abuse on her father’s part and possibly neglect on her mother’s part. If you’d feel comfortable doing so, you can call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 to report the information yourself. You can also share what you know with a guidance counselor, teacher, or coach, who are mandated reporters meaning they must report anything they hear about abuse. Another option you might have is to call your local police non-emergency number and ask them to do a wellness check at your friend’s address just to make sure things are okay.

Thank you again for writing in. You sound like a caring and kind person and we hope we were able to help. If you wanna talk about the situation further or if your friend does, you can call us any time at 1-800-786-2929. Best of luck.

[Guest]

I’m in Indiana can’t find my previous comment but I need to know if I can go get my friend. I’m fifteen she is soon going to turn 15 and her parents are drunk. Her dad is abusive and yelling at her. She has anxiety and depression. I posted a comment but can’t find it. Help ASAP.

[Guest]

I have a question say my niece was taken wrongfully by cps and has been abused in the system moved around from foster home to foster home. Been raped in there and has came to my house asking for help and says she isnt going back or she will commit suicide she wants to be with her family she has missed the love that comes from a family in the system moving a child from foster home to foster home messed with her mental state. im concerned she wont get the education she needs im afraid for my household if i even speak to her but i want to help her i feel im in a situation where i could adopt her but the system wont let me she says they wont allow it . no idea why i have nothing on my background im just not wealthy. So my question is can i get into trouble for her contacting me but not staying at my house ? And the other thing is im concerned for her safety i would rather her be here with me but she is on the streets somewhere if i make a call to report to secure her saftey would i get into trouble for talking with her she is making poor dicisions and says she has raised her self in foster care and sence noonce has custody can do what she wants im afraid for her but afraid to help her. Because of the system What to do.?

[ccsmod15]

Hi, thank you so much for reaching out today! It sounds like you and your niece are in a very difficult situation right now. We are here to support you both! We are so sorry to hear your niece has been abused. She does not deserve any of that at all and it should not have happened. We do have some resources that may be helpful for your niece. If you feel she is ever in immediate danger or she feels she is in immediate danger of killing herself, calling 911 is always an option. They can send out an ambulance and/or police to do a wellness check and be sure she gets the immediate assistance she needs. Walking into a local emergency room is always another option. If your niece is not in immediate danger of suicide but still is in need of support, the national suicide prevention lifeline is a great resource to call or live chat online to discuss thoughts and feelings of self harm, depression, and suicide: 1-800-273-8255, suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Their phone number and online chat is 24/7 and can certainly provide support for your niece when she is feeling suicidal. RAINN (rape abuse incest national network): 1-800-656-4673, rainn.org provides a lot of good information on rape and sexual assault/abuse, access to resources, options, and serve as a support hotline and crisis online chat to help talk through difficult feelings associated with the rape and abuse. They are also 24/7 both on the phone and online. Your niece could also look into Child Help—the national child absue hotline at 1-800-422-4453, childhelp.org. They can provide information on what abuse is, steps for filing a report against the offenders, and even give information regarding getting a new guardian—which could be you in this situation.
It is understandable that you all may be distrustful of CPS given your family’s history with it, however, it is in place to protect youth so filing a report against the abusers is always your niece’s right. Your niece’s caseworker is another good resource for her to talk to about this abuse. He/she is there to serve as an advocate and voice for your niece.
As far as your question about being in contact with your niece, we are not legal experts, however we can provide you with the information we understand about run away laws. Anyone who leaves their legal guardian (the group home or foster family in your niece’s case) and is under the age of adulthood (which is 18 in most states) could be filed as a runaway by their legal guardian (niece’s case worker). Running away is not a crime, however, the legal guardian can charge any adult the youth stays with with the crime of harboring a runaway. It is a rare charge, but one to be aware of. That only applies if your niece is staying with you. You can be in contact with her otherwise though; that has no legal consequences that we know of.
It is really understandable that you are so scared for your niece’s safety. We want her to be safe too. Youth’s safety is our first priority. Since you are in contact with her, feel free to pass on our confidential and anonymous phone number and website to her as well: 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), 1800runaway.org. Our phone number is 24/7 every day of the year and we have email and a crisis chat as well as this forum. Our chat is 4:30-11:30pm Central Time every day; the other services and the phone number is 24/7. We can help her find shelters to stay at, problem solve her situation and talk through options she has, as well as giving additional resources
Thank you for caring so deeply about your niece and doing what you can to keep her safe. We are here to support both yourself and your niece. If you need more support for yourself, please call us anytime and we can look up resources for you as well. We wish you the best of luck in helping your niece through this very difficult situation. We are here to listen, here to help 24/7.

[Guest]

Would I get in trouble with the cops open if I run away from my home

[ccsmod5]

Hi,
Thanks for writing in. It sounds like you're wanting to leave home. We're not legal experts, but generally speaking, you need to be 18 to leave home without parental consent. If you leave without permission, your legal guardians would have the right to file a runaway report and if the police find you, they may return you home. Generally speaking, there should be no legal consequences other than the police returning you home.If you want to speak about the situation further, please feel free to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. Best of luck.

[Guest]

Hello, im a 13 y/o girl from upstate SC and i want to runaway. My grandparents and mother are not helping my problems and I don’t like what they say to me. They dont like the way I dress, dying my hair, my piercings, and other stuff. Im currently failing school and they dont care. Is it okay if I go to Georgia to live with a friend of mine? Will I be caught?

[ccsmod10]

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out. We’re sorry to hear how tough it’s been for you, and that you want to run away.

Unfortunately, because you’re a minor, you could be reported as a runaway. If they report you to the police, and the police come across you while you're on the run, they are required to bring you back home. They could also get your friend’s parents in trouble legally because “harboring a minor without parental consent” is considered a misdemeanor.

Have you had a chance to have a good talk to your family about the hurtful comments, or about them not caring that you’re failing at school? It might be hard, but what if you find someone – another adult that you trust, and also that they respect – to be with you guys when you have that conversation? It could be an aunt or uncle, a friend’s parent… just to help keep things neutral and possibly help you guys get to a compromise. Or you can call us at 1-800-runaway, and we’ll can them and have a mediated conference call.

Another idea would be for you to talk to your school’s counselor… have you thought about that by chance? We’re for you, to listen and to help – so please call us if you to talk about it more.

Stay strong!

[Guest]

Hello,

I need advice. I’ve been helping a teen that ran away from home a little over a year ago she is 16. She is friends with my daughter. She wants to stay with me until she turns 18. She has had problems with her parents for a long time and cps has been involved on several occasions. The last time csp was involed was before she ran away. A case was opened but before she could get then evedence of abuse the case would be closed because her parents lied and had them think that she is an unruly child. Her parents are very muliptive and controlling to the point the whole family will do as they say so nothing was ever found. They passed her from one family member to another telling her they don’t want her but if she tries to leave or get help the lie their way out of everything. I met them one time before all this happened and they treated to call the cops on me because she came over a lot and for some reason they don’t like me. While she was here she was always taken care of but they didn’t care. They have filed a missing and endangered report on her and now have hired a privet investigator. I don’t know what do. I’m scarred/worried that they are looking into me now. I haven’t had any contact with them since the first time I met them so I don’t know what’s going on or what they’ve found out so far. I don’t want to go to jail for having her but she needs to be safe. Should I have her go home since they’ve got a privet investigator involved and will that stop them from looking into things further?

[ccsmod9]

Hello there,
Thank you for posting on the National Runaway Safeline forum. It sounds like you’ve been a great support for a runaway youth and that is wonderful. Sometimes that support can make all the difference in someone’s life.
It sounds like a lot of things are stacked against this person. We’re so sorry to hear that CPS hasn’t stepped in and no one is helping her.
We do want to stress that we are not legal experts. Generally speaking, there is a charge called Harboring a Runaway. It sounds like you’re at risk of being charged in this situation.
Having her go home might put her at risk. If there is abuse in the home, it sounds like that’s the case. If you’d like, you could contact us here at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we could try to help find her a safe place to go. If you think that would be a good route to go, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are 24/7 and completely confidential.
It might also be a good idea to let the youth know about us and, if you’re ok with it, let them give us a call. We can help her file another abuse report if she wishes or work with her to try to make a plan.
Thank you again for helping this person and best of luck to the both of you.
All the best,
NRS

[Guest]

Hello,

I need advice. My daughters friend has been with me for a year now. She ran away and wants to stay here until she’s 18 “ she’s 16 now”. Her parents are mentally, and physically abusive. Csp has been involved several times. The last time was before she left when the closed the case because they couldn’t get the evidence they needed. That and her parents lie and miliputaled their way out of it making it seem like she’s an unruly child. They are very controlling and mililpitave to the point their whole family will do as they say. I’ve met them once and it wasn’t on good turms. They treated to call the cops on me all because she came over a lot to get away from them for a little bit. Since I was worried about her I did keep in contact with her. Her parents did file a report on her days after she left. They listed her as a run away at first but now have as missing and endangered. They’ve also hired a privet investigator now. I’m scared/worried that they are starting to look into me now. I don’t want to go to jail for trying to help her. Should I have her go home and will they stop looking into things once she’s home?

[Guest]

My friend has recently run away from his foster home in Arkansas. He came to Texas to live with a friend and has been here for several months without getting caught or found out. About a week ago, the cops found out where he was and arrested him to take him back to Arkansas. Nothing was charged against the family who took him in down here, but he wants to run away again and come back to Texas. He's only 16 and I don't know what will happen if they go get him and bring him back here again. He's never had a real family until the family down here took him in and we really want to help him. Any advice or information you could give would be greatly appreciated.

[ccsmod5]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It sounds like your friend is in a tough position. That is great to hear that he has your support in this time.

You said that the family he stayed with in Texas was not charged this time. We are not legal experts, but there is a possiblity that they could be charged with harboring a runaway. Since this did not happen last time, it's possible that your friend's family is not interested in going through the process of pressing charges. However, if he repeatedly returns to the family in Texas, it is a step they may opt to take. Once again, we are not legal experts and this may not happen, but it is good to be informed of the possiblities!

Another thing your friend may want to keep in mind is that if he intends to return to the same place, the police may be able to more easily find him. You mentioned that they returned him home, and that is what we usually find to be the priority of a police department that finds a runaway. From what we understand, running away is not illegal, it is just something that you cannot do because of minor status. It looks like in both Texas and Arkansas, the age of minority is 17. If you would like to read more into rights due to age, you might find this website useful: https://sexetc.org/action-center/sex-in-the-states/

If you would like to give your friend our number here, we would be happy to talk through his options with him and help to ensure he makes a decision that he finds is best for him and everyone involved. For example, we have a conference calling resource where we would have a conversation with your friend, then call through to their parents and have a call all together about what is going on. We act as a third party there to support the youth as well as to make sure the conversation stays productive and compromise-driven. To utilize this or any other of our resources, he can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are open 24/7, toll-free, and completely confidential.

Your friend is lucky to have you as a line of support. Feel free to reach out to us with any other questions. We're here to listen, here to help.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Guest]

I have a question how old can a child be to leave a foster home in Pennsylvania

[ccsmod5]

Hi, thanks for writing in. We're not legal experts, but to our knowledge you can leave your legal guardians' home at age 18. If you want to talk about the situation more specifically or have any other questions, please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-786-2929. We wish you the best of luck and we hope this response was helpful. We encourage you to give your honest feedback of our services at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think . Stay safe!

[Guest]

Hi I am a mother of a 14 year old boy that is on Probation now Cps has removed him from his father and grandparents and placed with me now I live in a different county now his probation officer is saying she wants to revoke him for a a decision that Cps made by placing him in a different county what can I do about can they do that can me or my son get in trouble for protecting my son and a decision Cps made

[ccsmod16]

Hello, thanks for reaching out. It sounds like your situation is really tough with CPS and your son. We are here to help.

We are not legal experts, but can provide local legal aid if you call in or live chat us through our website.

It may be best if you reach out to your son's case worker and see if they can help since CPS is already involved.

Call us 24/7 at 1-800-786-2929 for more help or resources!

[Guest]

My sons girlfriend is 17 and he is 22 and has been staying at my apartment a she left from a foster home and might be pregnant what do I do?

[ccsmod4]

Reply: My sons girlfriend is 17 and he is 22


Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It sounds like your son has a girlfriend that is pregnant and possibly ran away from her foster parent’s home and you are not sure what to do.
Although we can’t tell you what to do, we want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time.

You should be aware that if she did indeed run away from her foster home and has been reported to the police as ma runaway, you are obligated by law to contact CPS or the police within 24hrs or you may be considered for harboring a runaway. This is an illegal act in most states. Perhaps there are some other circumstances to the girl’s situation that put her at risk.
If so she can file a report with her case manager for assistance.

If you would like to talk more in detail and explore some options dealing with your situation,
We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. You are welcome to pass our information on to your son’s girlfriend.
She is welcome to contact NRS and talk about her situation.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).

We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

Hello,
My friend is 17 years old; she has lived with a verbally and physically abusive dad. She has 3 other siblings who live in the house and one who has moved out with kids of her own. She left her house last Monday night due to another incident with him. Her dad said some things towards her and then stated that she needed to get her stuff within 30 days or it's no longer hers. Her 18th birthday isn't for another 6 months. She is safe and living with good people; her mom is threatening her to go to the police and press charges because she hasn't been able to talk to her much lately. My friend has already gone to the police station and had reported the latest incident with them. She was told, sent proof, and looked up herself after being informed the family law, which states "The rights of a 17 year old runaway... This means that any child that is 17 years old or older will not suffer legal consequences, if they runaway from home. If your child is under 17..." what can she do to stay away from the house she lived in, and would she get into trouble? What would happen to the people she's living with now? Please help and give answers!

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand that it takes courage to seek help. We are sorry to hear about the way your friends dad has been treating her. We are not legal experts so we can only give general information. Running away isn't against the law so she wouldn't get into trouble legally. However, the people that you friend is staying with could get in trouble for harboring a runaway, if her parents decide to press charges. Your friend could contact CPS to report the abuse or contact Child Help (1-800-422-4453) to explore her options and get information on how to transfer custody. Another option that she has is looking into emancipation laws for her state. Some police do not accept runaway reports for 17 year old's. She may want to consider contacting her local police through their non emergency number to ask about their runaway policy. If she doesn't feel comfortable contacting the police, we could call them for her. We hope that this information helps, if you have any other questions or just want to talk please feel free to have your friend contact us directly via our 24 hour crisis hotline (1-800-786-2929), email, or live chat.

[Guest]

My brother ran away and we called the police now he is found he was adopted but the police e went tell us anything and the court is coming up not sure what to expect why there is foster care and police and a lawyer for him can u explain

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS via our forum.

It sounds like you and your family are going through a pretty scary and stressful time because your brother ran away. He’s lucky to have family like you, which looks out for him. Unfortunately, we’re not legal experts, so we’re not sure why the court isn’t letting your family know what’s going on with him. It’s possible that he may have committed a crime while on the run. We do have legal aid resources in our database, those resources are lawyers that help youth for free. They may know more about what’s going on with your brother. If you’d like us to connect you with those resources, don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Again, thanks for reaching out to us. We hope that your brother’s situation gets better and we’re here if you need us to find resources for you.

Best, NRS

[Guest]

Hi I was wondering how much stuff could I get into if I ran away at 16 and what would happen if I’m caught
would I go back home?
if I find right ppl to take care of me and I got caught there would they get in trouble or could I stay with them if I wanted?