Can I run away and still go to school?

[ccsmod15]

Hi Renata,

Thank you for reaching out to NRS. It sounds like you’re going through a lot right now! You deserve to be loved and care for- NOT to be abused in any way! We are here to help and support you in the best way that we can!

Unfortunately, it can be challenging to run away as a minor (under the age of 1. In most states, if your legal guardian reports you as a runaway, you could be taken back home by law enforcement.

There are a few options that you might want to consider looking into. Since you are experiencing abuse- you can report this abuse to Child Protective Services (CPS). If you feel uncomfortable making a report on your own, you can ask a trusted adult at your school to help you or you can call our hotline number 1-800-786-2929 and we can help you make the report.

Another resource that might be helpful to you is ChildHelp.org. Child Help can provide support for you and can also provide more information on reporting abuse. They are available at their website via chat https://www.childhelp.org/ or you can call their hotline number at 1-800-422-4453.

We are also available at NRS 24/7 via calls, chats, and email. Please do not hesitate to reach out for further support and planning! We are here for you!

Hi, I'm Renata. I'm sixteen and have been preparing to run away this summer, but I have no idea where I'd go after I leave. My family is destroying me, I was sexually assaulted by my mother's husband, and the emotional, mental, and verbal abuse is tearing me apart. They've torn me away from my biological father, who is the only person who I feel has created a safe space for me. This has been going on for as long as I remember. My girlfriend (who moved states two years ago) and I have been planning to meet each other halfway, and help each other escape from our households. I'm going to an alternative school, as I dropped out last year due to serious mental health decline from abuse. Things are not going well within that school either, I'm surrounded by drugs which I've constantly fallen victim to and I'm acting out in ways I never have before and I'm just not me anymore... Staying with friends is not an option, I don't want to take any chances going back to my household, I'll be treated 10 times worse. I'm more scared than anything. I'd just like to be happy with my girlfriend, but I'm just not sure how to go about it. Will I be able to enroll in any colleges or finish high school once I'm 18? Will I actually be able to restart my life without my parents? And how do I survive two years of being a runaway? I'm planning ahead, but I know I'll need assistance from more than just her. Please help me, thank you so much for providing a safe space for other kids just like me.

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it can be difficult to deal with these feelings by yourself and we're glad you reached out. We want you to know that you deserve to be loved and accepted for the way you are. We can see how this situation has affected you and your sense of identity. Please know that you should not be treated like that and it is their fault, not yours. It will get better and your life is worth living. Please don’t give up because of who your parents are; there are people in the world who will love you for who you are.

One resource that may be helpful to you is The Trevor Project, he world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. If you are ever experiencing suicidal thoughts again, you can chat or call someone from their website here: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/. You can also interact and talk to other youth who may be going through similar situations. If you would like to file an abuse report against your parents, we can certainly help you do so as well. As for running away, there is unlikely to be any legal consequences, however, going to school may pose a greater challenge. If your parents file a runaway report and the police find where you are, they can take you back to them. One option you might think about is getting emancipated if you want to break off legal ties to your biological family. We are happy to look for legal aid resources near you that may be able to help in that process.

If you would like to talk more about your situation, explore possible options, or find certain resources, we are here. NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance, so if you would like to talk more, please call or chat soon. Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).

If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Be safe and take care,
NRS

hi, i am Gender non affirming and my parents, if you could even call them that. are forcing me to look and act how they want. this is not the first time and i have a good reason to beleive that i have been emotionaly and mentally abused throughout my childhood and most of my teenage years. I was always told to grow up and tough everything out because i was born male and when i was 13 years old, i came out as non binary to my few friends and ever since then i have been trying to grow my hair out and they have forced me to cut it multiple times, and this time i received multiple threats of physical violence if i didnt cut it down to how they wanted it i had my hair grown out for around 7-8 months worth so it was long, but my parents are LGBTQ+phobic, racist, and sexist i have been thinking about running away and living with one of my friends for the rest of my teenage years. i was wondering if that would be possible and if i would be allowed to still go to school and have a semi normal life outside of my biological parents house. not only do i not feel safe here, i have considered suicide multiple times in the past hour. i do not wish to live with them anymore and i want to have a better life

[ccsmod10]

Hi, it's good that you're reaching out for help and planning things through. If you decide you need to run away, it can be good to plan out where you will live and how you will provide for yourself first. A family member or friend you can stay with can be a good place to start, or a youth shelter (we can look one up in your area if you provide some geographic info). You should know that if you run away and stay at any of these places, your parents/legal guardians can file a runaway report, and police would investigate where you are; if you were found you would likely be returned home and the people housing you could potentially get in legal trouble.

If you want to enroll yourself in school after running away, you might need to provide proof of your age (birth certificate, state ID, or passport), proof of residence at the address you live at, or proof of previous vaccinations.

It can be helpful to talk through your plan before running away-- if you want to do so with us, you can live chat us (1800runway.org) or call us (1-800-RUNAWAY) any time, 24/7.

Stay safe,
National Runaway Safeline

hi
im a 15 year old girl. i want to runaway and live my own life but what do i need to do first and what necessary documents can i bring to enroll myself again. Please respond to my question. Thankyou!

[ccsmod16]

HI!  Thank you so much for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline.  It’s very unfortunate that you are going what you’re going through, especially as it appears that you are very dedicated to keeping up your pursuit of a college degree. You should be very proud of yourself for understanding the importance of getting an advance degree.   As you have not included your age or your city/state of residence it’s difficult to answer your question as it may be based upon state laws You can reach out to the National Center for Homeless Education Helpline at 1-800-308-2145 for state specific information .  Like your first college, you will likely have to reapply to new college to gain admission.  
It would be great if you could reach out to us either via our Chat option (www.1800runaway.org) or via phone at 1-800-786-2929 so that we would be able to get more specifics about your current living situation.  The National Runaway Safeline has a huge database of resources that we can look into which might provide you with organizations that assist in helping homeless young adults.   Again, again so sorry about the situation you’re in at the foster home.  Keep up the good work looking ahead to making your future bright!  We look forward to speaking to you at NRS and hope we can get your concerns taken care of.
Sincerely,
National Runaway Safeline

I want to run away as I’m unhappy where I live (I’m in foster care), I have a place to go, I’m just scared I won’t be able to get into another college if I do (uk btw) does anyone know if it would be possible for me to still attend college if I run away ?

[ccsmod15]

Hello! Thank you for reaching out to the NRS!

It's good that you had the initiative to reach out to us for advice before taking action. While we aren't legal experts here at NRS, because you are still a minor at 16, it is within your parents' rights to file a missing persons report if you go off the radar. This means that the police will be obligated to pick you up and release you back into their custody. It is also possible that if you stay with another adult that they will be in legal trouble for harboring you. That said, if you are still committed to running away, there are a number of other considerations outside of where you are staying or whether you can make it to school. For example, how do you plan on supporting yourself financially once you leave home? What happens when you need money to buy food, new clothes, or school supplies? In these sorts of situations, it's important to consider all the variables that come with a big decision. One way to best flesh out one of these situations is once again talking to a trusted person about what you're feeling and what you are planning to do.

If you have more questions or just want to talk about your situation more with one of our representatives, feel free to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929) or chat with us at 1800runaway.org.
NRS

If I run away at 16, have a safe place to stay and go to school can they physically do anything.

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Yes, please call our 24 hour confidential hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY or chat with us via the chat feature on our website: www.1800runaway.org. When you call or chat with us we can talk about what's going on, share any resources that may be helpful, and help you figure out what your best options are. We hope to hear from you soon!

Stay safe,
NRS

I need some to talk to can y’all help me?

[ccsmod15]

Thanks for reaching out to NRS. The behavior you’re describing from your parents sounds like abuse, and that is never ok. Abuse can take a heavy toll on anyone’s mental health, and It’s completely understandable that you’d be looking for a way out of this situation. It shows how strong you are that you have gone through so much and you are still reaching out for help.

The National Runaway Safeline is located in the United States, so our knowledge of community resources (like youth shelters and counseling services) and our understanding of laws related to youth in crisis is limited to the U.S. If Since you are in the U.K., a crisis line that might be able to help you find resources is called Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/ You also mentioned struggling with suicidal thoughts -- no one deserves to suffer alone. Another resource that might be helpful is the UK National Suicide Prevention Line UK: https://www.spbristol.org/nsphuk or the SHOUT crisis text line: https://www.giveusashout.org/ If you ever feel like you are in danger of acting on those thoughts, please call emergency services.

We hope that by reaching out to a local resource, you are able to get the support you need from an organization that understands the laws and circumstances that affect youth in your country.

Be safe and good luck,

NRS

I'm 15 years old and trying to run away from a toxic household i am treated badly everyday and I'm depressed, i tried to tell my parents about it but they never listen. A couple of days ago i talked to them about it, this is how i knew they don't care about me, they took my phone, my Dad went through my phone trying to find something i had nothing to hide my parents are just so toxic and think they know everything, about 2 weeks ago i was suicidal i still am but 2 weeks ago was worse i took 3 whole packs of ibuprofen my dad saw it in my mouth and then made me spit it out my mum said ''you should've let her take it'' it's so upsetting to see other children bond with their parents because i don't have a relationship with mine, anytime i talk to them about it they just blame it on me saying i never come to the living room all kinds of ******** and it is so annoying i just need to get out the beating the trauma its is too much for me i.m only 15 15 years old and i already feel like killing myself cause of this because of them, right now i'm using my laptop to type cause they took my phone i need a place to stay i live in London UK please help me I'm not sure if i.ve got long left.

[ccsmod16]

Hi,
We are glad you found us and have reached out, it is very brave to do so. It sounds like things are really hard at home and that they have been for a long time. It's understandable to feel like running away and thinking about school if you left. The short answer is yes, under federal law a homeless student does have the right to an education. you can call the National Homeless Education Helpline to help you enroll yourself in school. Their number is 1-800-308-2145
But it sounds like you would have to think of a place to go, maybe a friend or family member can help you. We hope that you will call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY or chat us through this website to help you discover your options. Or maybe another option is to file an abuse report with your state's child protection agency. We can help you do that, or you can call www.childhelp.org at 1-800-422-4453
You don't deserve to be treated this way and we truly hope to hear from you soon so we can talk it over.
Sincerely,
NRS