Can CPS annul a runaway's marriage?

[Unregistered]

My daughter is 17, and pregnant, and listed as a missing person - and CPS has temporary custody of her. CPS has threatened to take her child away and place in foster care until it gets adopted due to the law Clinton has passed. She had runaway earlier this year and is staying with friends.

Now we were told that if she got married, she would be emancipated and CPS would no longer be involved. The next county over said that was the case as well as the State CPS investigator. But the county CPS that is involved says that is not the case.

She will be 18 in 6 months and then this will end - but until then she is hiding out as this whole thing has been a nightmare. She did get married with my permission and CPS and the lawyers have said that the judge will annul the marriage due to the fact that CPS had custodial rights - however that is in conflict with what the other CPS people told us.

They claim if they find her they will take her child away, and annul the marriage but they have made a lot of false claims. So that is why I asked if they would annul the marriage and really take her and the baby away?

[ccsmod1]

Re: Can CPS annual a runaway's marriage?

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard and sharing your story. We're so sorry to hear about the complicated legal situation with CPS and your daughter. Its sounds very frustrating when the state tells you one thing and the county another. We really couldnt give you a straight answer on this since we're not legal specialists but there is a national organization called Justice for Children (www.justiceforchildren.org, 1800-733-0059) that specializes in giving legal advice for youth. Without a city and state we're not able to give you referrals for local help.

Please feel free to give us a call at our confidential hotline 1800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) to discuss the situation in more detail and possibly give you more localized referrals. We hope this helps.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Guest]

I'm 18 with a child. I was put in dhs custody while I was at the hospital due to my parent's doing dope in the parking lot. I'm now 18 my child is now 1. Can I leave dhs and get married and just live my life like I want?!?!

PLEASE HELP

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS via our forum! It sounds like you’re in a very stressful situation and we are here to help in any way we can.

You mentioned being in foster care due to you parents drug abuse, which must have been really traumatizing for you. If you’d ever like to talk more about your situation or need counseling resources, we can help you find those. We also understand that you are now 18 with a child, unfortunately we are not legal experts. Nor experts on the DHS system, but we can definitely call your local DHS office with you to find those answers. Usually when youth turn 18, they are considered legal adults, but since you were in CPS custody, that may change the situation. We can also look up legal aid resources in your area, if you would like information on a legal standpoint. If you have a case worker, they would be able to tell you if you are no longer considered in DHS custody.

We are more than happy to talk more about what’s going on and brainstorm options you may have. Our safeline is open 24/7, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Best, NRS