Im 16 and hate living at home if i run away can the police force me to go back?

[Guest]

I'm 16 and my mother hates me and says she would like me to do her a favor and leave but if i leave i know she will call the cops on me. If i run away can the cops come looking after me like id a child went missing?

[ccsmod4]

Reply: I'm 16 and my mother hates me

Hi,
Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

In most states 18 years old is the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. A person under the age of 18 leaving home without permission, a 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.

Generally speaking, a minor that encounters a police officer while reported as a runaway, may likely be detained until they can be returned home. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows a runaway 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 the non-emergency number of your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth. Does that make sense?
NRS is here to listen and here to help.
If you would like to speak more about your situation please contact us.
To contact NRS call 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or live chat with us at www.1800Runaway.org

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

I am 16 and I don’t want to be kept in the house all the time I’m a mature young adult and my mum keeps saying she won’t let me stay out and it’s making my mental health bad will the police force me Home if I just up and go

[ccsmod8]

Hello there –

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to get into contact with us here at the National Runaway Safeline, we are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. From your message to us, it sounds like you have are going through a very hard time right now and seem to be very overwhelmed with everything that is going on. It’s great that you are able to reach out for help in your current situation, it’s very brave of you to do that. It must be very frustrating to feel like you can’t stay at home anymore because it's damaging to your mental health. No one deserves to go through something like that. We are mainly here for support and help find some guidance to local resources that might be able to help a youth through their particular situation and we aren’t here to tell them what to do because you know they situation a lot better than we do.

It sounds like you are in a difficult situation, and we understand it takes courage to reach out for help. The National Runaway Safeline is located in the United States of America (USA). Our knowledge of helpful community based resources and our understanding of youth in crisis related laws is limited to the USA. So we can't tell you what would happen with the police in a different county. If you are located in a country outside of the USA, you can use this link to find a youth helpline in or around your country: http://www.childhelplineinternationa...where-we-work/.

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.

[Guest]

Im 16 i want to run away but all i think about is the cops bringing me back home. I DONT want that. I want to stay away from home FOREVER. I dont like it here. My birthday is this summer in May i was going to just wait for it to come back around but thats too long for me..i want to leave NOW!!!!! Help me anyone. ASAP.

[ccsmod10]

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’ve been going through a tough time, but we are here to support you and help you in any way we can.
We’re not legal experts here at NRS. Generally it’s not illegal to leave home, but your mom could file a runaway report, the police could get involved, and they could bring you home. The people you’re staying with could potentially get in trouble for having you stay there. Some police departments don’t accept runaway reports for youth close to being legal adults, but the policies may vary by each department. You could consider calling your local nonemergency police department to ask about their policies. We also have legal aid resources here if you have specific questions about the laws in your state.
If you haven’t already, you could consider reaching out to a trusted adult, relative, worker/teacher/counselor at your school for help and support. If you haven’t, you could consider talking to your parents about how you’ve been feeling or have someone help you talk to them. There are also many resources that could help you work through conflict at home, help you find a safe place if you’re in need, or help you with anything else you may need. If you want to talk more about what’s been going on, or if you would like more information about resources, you can call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929) or chat with us online.
Again, thank you or contacting us. It sounds like you’ve been going through a hard time, but you’ve shown a lot of strength by working through these challenges and reaching out for help. If you ever need anything in the future, please feel free to call us or chat with us online. We’re always here to listen and here to help.

[Guest]

Hi. I'm 16 living in NJ. I don't want to live with my parents anymore and can't stand them. What happens if I call the police and say that I don't feel safe living with them. Where will I go? What happens to me?

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline, we understand that it takes a great deal of courage to seek help and share a bit of what’s going on. We are sorry to hear that you are not getting along with your parents. We are not legal experts so we cannot say for sure what would happen if you call the police or what will happen to you. From what we know, Child Protective Services would do an investigation to determine whether or not your home is not a safe environment. If they find that you are not safe at home, you would be removed from the home. Another family member may be able to take you in or you may be placed in foster care. However, that is just general information based off of our experience, each case is different. To find out what could happen if you told the police that you don’t feel safe, you could contact our local police department through their non-emergency phone number. If you don’t feel comfortable calling them, we could call for you. You could also contact Child Protective Services or Child Help (1-800-422-4453) for more information about what would happen to you. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly via our crisis hotline (1-800-786-2929) email, live chat.

[Guest]

Hi, I am 15 and my mom always says to get out of her house and she emotionally and physically abuses me. She has left bruises on my face, scratches on my stomach, face, and neck. She tells me she hates me several times. Calls me a **********, slut, whore, a piece of crap. She has spit in my face more than once. I really want to leave and go stay with my friend. It is a safe environment. I would still be going to school, I would be able to get a job. I just really do not want to stay there anymore. If I leave without her consent, would the police bring me back home. I have heard that if you leave for good cause and you are in a safe environment, then they will be less likely to take you back home. Can you please give me an insight on this?

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline. We are very sorry to hear that you are being abused by your mother. You don’t deserve to be treated that way. It is understandable that you no longer want to stay there. If you feel as though are in immediate danger, we encourage you to call 911. Talking to someone that you can trust like a teacher or school counselor could help. You also have the option of reporting the abuse. You may want to take pictures of your bruises as evidence of the abuse. Child Help (1-800-422-4453) is a great resource for abuse reporting and even exploring options of transferring custody. Since you are a minor, your mom has the right to file a runaway report if you leave without her consent. With a runaway report, there is a chance that the police would return you home unless you tell them about the abuse. CPS would do an investigation and if they determine that your home environment is not safe, you will be removed from your home. However, if you decided to stay with your friend without reporting the abuse, there is a chance that your friend would get in trouble for harboring a runaway. What you are going through is not your fault and you are not alone. Please feel free to contact us directly our crisis hotline is 24 hours (1-800-786-2929) , we can also be reached through email, or live chat.

[Guest]

I feel threatened at home and want to go to my grandmas. I’m 15. My mom said she will call the cops if I leave. Do I have a right to leave if I’m threatened she says she is going to hit me

[ccsmod6]

Hi,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reach out to us today. We are so sorry to hear that you are being threatened by your mom. We understand how that must make you feel unsafe and why you are trying to live with your grandma because of it. We can let you know a little bit about runaway laws and the options that you may have.

So normally if you leave home at the age of 15 you could be considered a runaway. Running away is not illegal as far as we know, but it is considered a status offense. We aren't legal experts by any means, but for the most part when you run away your parent could file a runaway report for you and the police would be looking for you and would have to take you back home if they found you. You would not be arrested and it would not go on your record. If you left to your grandma's house your mom could file a runaway report for you. If you want, you could tell the police about what is going on and if there's abuse going on they would likely get child protective services involved.

If you really want to live with your grandma something you could consider is talking to her about taking custody of you. In order to do this your grandma would likely have to get into contact with a lawyer and go through the court system. But if she does this, she could possibly get custody of you and you two could live together.

If you want to talk more about what you're going through please don't hesitate to reach out to us again. We are 24/7 so you can call us anytime at 1-800-RUNAWAY! We are here to listen and help as best as we can.

[Guest]

If I run away at 16 will I get in trouble? My home is horrible and I hate it so much. My mom has a mental disorder and usually when she starts to get her mood swings she takes her anger out on me only, none of my siblings unless they defend me. I've been dealing with this for so long and I feel like this is interfering with my daily life. I'm constantly in fear whether her mood swings will get bad and she'll start hurting me again, and I dont even know if she can get in any trouble since she has mental issues. I tried leaving to stay with my boyfriend since she kicked me out but she pulls this bullcrap lie saying that she didn't mean to say those things when I told the police, only for her to beat me and ******** talk me immediately after when we're alone. If I leave with my boyfriend will there be consequences? Will my mom even get in trouble or will she get a free pass because of her mental illness? Please respond

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’ve been living through a very challenging situation at home with your mom, and you’ve shown a lot of strength for persevering it as long as you have. Everyone deserves to feel safe at home, and no one deserves the kind of abuse you have described. We are not legal experts, but because of your age, your mother can file a runaway report if you leave without her permission and if she knows where you are, the police can return you home. Running away is not against the law, but it is a status offense. Legally, your boyfriend’s family could be charged with harboring you as a runaway if your mom filed a running report.

If you talked to the police about the physical abuse you have experienced with your mom, they could refer you to Child Protective Services which could result in you and your siblings being removed from your mom’s custody. You also have the option of reporting this abuse through Child Help and their hotline (1-800-422-4453). You may not want to go through with this option right now, so another thing to think about are the police officers you have already come into contact with when they visited your home. Do you remember any of the officer’s names? Based on their experience with similar situations, they may have an understanding of your dynamic at home and would be good authorities to ask about any possible legal consequences if you left home to live with your boyfriend. Perhaps you can contact one of these officers and direct some of these questions to them? Note: if you to talk to them about physical abuse and they know your name, they are mandated to call Child Protective Services -- so that could trigger actions with your mom’s custody you may not want to take yet.

You have been living with a very difficult situation for quite some time and NRS is here to listen and here to help. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically please let us know. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance.

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

We hope to hear from you soon.

Be safe,
NRS

[Guest]

I don’t know if this site is still running but this is worth a shot.
I’m 16 in 3 days and 35 minutes. I’m so tired of everything being repeated. Breakdowns. Recently (last December) I moved away from some abusive people I had been living with. My biological sister moved away with me as well. Now we’re both in Maryland. News flash, I loathe Maryland. I don’t care if I’m put back into the system anymore. As long as I don’t have to live here. I’m currently living w/ a relative of the people whom I used to live with. The relative isn’t completely bad. She’s not abusive unlike the other people I was living with. As I’m typing this I feel crappy because there are teens and kids in situations worse than mine. Again the person I’m living with currently isn’t abusive. It’s just I do not want to live here. I have depression and I believe my therapist said I was just a few signs short of social anxiety and PTSD. I can definitely agree with that. Speaking of therapist-. Let me stop... Anyhow I’m wondering what it is that I can do. I’ve been considering running away. If I’m not mistaken in Maryland this is not illegal just a status offense. I know a few kids in NY that I️ may be able to stay with. I just do not want to be here anymore and it seems as though there is no choice in the matter. The relative btw hasn’t Power I’d Attorney over my sister and I.
Please respond as soon as possible!

[ccsmod4]

Reply: I don’t know if this site is still running but this is worth a shot.

Hello,
Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

We appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on.
Some situations can be disappointing and even upsetting thus making things uncertain about what to do or where to turn.
We understand and we want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. Although we are not legal experts we can try to connect you with legal aid services in your area so that you might get certain questions answered.
We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or www.1800Runaway.org.

Again tell us what it is you would like us to help you with and we will be happy to explore some options with you.
NRS is here to listen and here to help.
We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

im 16 and want to get out of my house because of tension in the house. can i leave the house at night (before curfew) and be back in the house by curfew are there any punishments that can happen?

[ccsmod5]

Hi,
Thanks for writing in. It sounds like you’re going through a difficult time at home and you’re looking for some ways to relieve the tension.
We’re uncertain if you’re referring to legal repercussions or punishment from your guardians. While we’re not legal experts, we can speak in generalities. Generally, if you leave home without permission, your parents have the right to file a runaway report at any time (even before curfew). If the police are able to locate you, they would simply return you home. There are generally no serious legal repercussions.
You mentioned that you want to get out of the house because of tension. You might consider asking your parents to stay with another family member or friend. You are free to stay at other homes with the consent of your parents or guardians. You might also consider reaching out to a therapist for family counseling. Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we also offer a conference call service; if you’d like, one of our trained liners can facilitate a call between you and your guardian.
If you’d like to talk more about your situation, feel free to reach out to us at 1-800-786-2929. Our lines are open 24/7. Best of luck.

[Guest]

Hi I'm 16 and live in Spring. I'm going through a lot of stuff at home with a recent divorce and its taken a toll on all of us. It's just complicated and I want to leave but I want to know the legality of it and I don't want my mother to get in trouble. Would I be able to go to school? What if I can prove I have the income to sustain myself? I just want to get away and not stay with my mother

[ccsmod5]

Hi, thanks for reaching out. It seems like you've reached out to us through another platform and we will respond to that one. Thanks!

[Guest]

I’m 13 turning 14 me and my mom are always arguing non stop she acts so childish at times it’s been going on for a year and I wanted to live with my dad but he can’t take care of me so I want to go stay with a friend of mine for a while can a police officer force me to go back home ? I’ve been planning it for a while already my friends parents will take me to school and support me all the way through but don’t want them to get introuble even though I doubt my mother would press charges but is there a way I could stay with my friends legally or something I know you guys aren’t lawyers and all but I could really use these answers

[ccsmod7]

Hi, thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like living with your mom has been wearing on you. We can provide some information on running away that may help answer these questions.

As a minor, you are required to live with your parents. If you do leave home to go live with your friend, you could be considered a run away. Running away is not illegal, it is a status offense. This means that if your mom filed a runaway report with the police, they could bring you back home. There is also the potential that your friend’s parents could be charged with harboring a runaway for allowing you to live with them. The only way for you to stay with your friend legally would be if your mom gave you permission to live with them. Any form of written permission would help you and your friend’s parents not get in trouble for taking you in.

If you do not think running away is a good option for you after hearing about some of these laws, you may want to think about how to make living with your mom less stressful. Some people find therapy or talking with a school counselor helpful. Other people find working a part time job or participating in an after school activity helpful because they do not spend as much time at home. If you wanted to talk about some of these options further, you can call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929).

Good luck, and thank you again for contacting us!

[Guest]

i am 15, i turn 16 in February.. i want to run away, my dad and step mom have taken my phone i bought and payed for and are accussing me of drugs being in the house that arent mine and saids i cant be home without an adult. i wanna do this as legal as possible. help?

[ccsmod16]

Hi there,

It sounds like things have become hard for you at home and that you feel like you want to get away from the rules your mom and step dad have been putting on you. It is frustrating to have your phone taken away and to feel accused for things you are not responsible for. It feels bad when the people you live with don’t trust you.

We are not legal experts here, but we can give you a few general legal rules, and point out some of the common issues that youth encounter when running away. In order to legally run away from home at your age you would need to be emancipated. This can be a long and complicated process, and you would need to have proof that you have a way to support yourself and a place to live among other things. These are things that you would need to plan for as well, if you do decide to leave home. You would also want to think about how long you plan to leave for, if you would continue school during this time and who you would turn to for help and support while away from home.

Another option you may want to think about is speaking to your parents or another family member, friend or someone at school who could get involved. Sometimes parents get worried about their teenaged kids and put up a lot of rules because they don’t quite know how to work with them. It can be helpful to have an honest conversation with them or to have someone else speak to them. NRS had a conference call service where we could have someone on the lines with you if this would help you have such a conversation.

Again, we am sorry that your parents have been giving you a hard time and we hope that things get better. Feel free to call the NRS hotline, and we could speak more about your what has been going on at home, what running away would look like, or if you would like to use any of our other services.

[Guest]

Running away at 16

I've been through too much now to deal with it anymore, I've tried killing myself several times but i can't even do that right. My mother doesn't know because she's never home. Im going to fail school too, things wont get better. So i should kill myself but since i cant do that i might aswell run away. I just dont know where to run to or how to stay safe, if staying safe even matters, if you have any advice I'd appreciate it.

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline. We understand that it takes a great deal of courage to seek help. It sounds like you have been going through a lot and it seems like you just want to escape. You mentioned that you have tried to commit suicide, you life matters ! Talking to someone about how you feel may help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) is a great resource for people that have attempted suicide. Suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problems.

You mentioned that you are going to fail at school. You could try talking to someone that you trust such as a teacher or school counselor. They may be able to assist you with tutoring or make up assignments, as well as help you get through other issues you are facing. You could also try talking to your mom about what your going through, you stated that she is never home maybe you two could try family therapy. You may also want to consider asking your mom if she would allow you to stay with a family member or close friend.

Running away is a big decision because you have to decide where you are going to go and how you are gonna take care of yourself. If you do decide to runaway, your mom has the right to file a runaway report. With a runaway report, if the police find you they would return you home. If you would like to leave home, we could look up local safe places such as youth shelters or transitional living programs. If you would like resources or just need to talk, please feel free to contact us directly via our 24 hour crisis hotline (1-800-786-2929), email, or live chat. Please be safe, we look forward to hearing from you soon.