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

[ccsmod8]

RE: leaving for good

Hello there –

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to get into contact with us here at the National Runaway Safeline on our public bulletin board, 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. No one deserves to be treated like that, especially at home when you should feel love and respected. You always have the right to report any abuse or neglect that happens at home to child protective services. If you don’t feel like you don’t know how to start that process or if you feel a little scared about making a report, you can always call us here and there is always someone here to help your through that. We are sorry that you had to go through that.

From your post here, it sounds like you’re looking for some answers on what the police can and cannot do if you were to run away. Unfortunately, here at the NRS we cannot tell you in definite terms what would happen if you were to leave home without permission because we are not legal experts. Laws on that specific subject vary from state to state, so our advice would be call your local non-emergency police number to get more information on that. What typically happens in state though if you’re under the age of majority (which is 18 in most states); your mother would be able to make a runaway report in the event that you do leave the house, but since it’s only considered a statues offense the only thing that would happen is that the police will pick you up and bring you back home. Or hold you until arrangements can be made to pick you up. Again this does depend on your specific state laws and police policy.

It sounds like you have been thinking about leaving for quite some time now though. You even stated that you were thinking about moving to another state if you had to. What would your overall plan be (i.e housing options (how long can you stay there), transposition, financial stability, school options, access to food/clothes, etc)? What do you think your family would do if you were to leave your house and move someplace else?

If you give us a call on our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we could help you find resources in your area and could potentially help you brainstorm a possible solution to the issues you are having. We also have an online chat service available every night from 4:30-11:30PM CST that is available through our website (www.1800runaway.org). If you contact us and give us more information about your location and situation we would be more than happy to help you find resources.

[Nina]

Running away, urgent

Hi, my name is Nina. i live in Northern Ireland and I am sixteen years old. I know this thread is quite hold but I really hope that someone, anyone, will reply to it. I have really low self esteem , I self harm and I think I may be both bipolar and depressed.. I do not get along with my family at home, they just don't care or listen and because of certain circumstances that've happend at both home and school, (which I now hate, I don't want to go back to school) I want to run away. I just want to be free, I don't want to be made to feel miserable anymore nor so I want to feel so lonely and unloved. I just want to start over in a new place with new people where I can really be myself and not feel like an utter let down or failure to those around me. All I want is to belong somewhere.. so I was wondering would I get into trouble with the police and what do you think I should take with me?
thank you,
Nina.

[ccsmod5]

re: Running away, urgent

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it seems like you are going through a pretty tough time at this point of your life and we are glad that you are able to come to us and seek help. Reaching out to us does take a lot of courage, and we are glad that you were able to do so.

So, from what you shared it seems like you are dealing with a lot of issues and you are feeling quite lonely. Have you thought about potentially seeing a counselor or therapist to talk to about how you have been feeling? Perhaps there is a counselor at your school that you can possibly speak to and see how you are feeling or maybe even a friend. You also mentioned that you have had thoughts about running away, here are some questions that you might want to consider before you do so:

• What else can I do to improve my home situation before I leave?
• What would make me stay at home?
• How will I survive?
• Is running away safe?
• Who can I count on to help me?
• Have I given this enough thought?
• What are my other options?
• If I end up in trouble, who will I call?
• When I return home, what will happen?



Unfortunately, our hotline and our referral database are mainly for people in the United States, but I have found a hotline in Ireland that you can potentially reach out to and talk about the problems you are facing as well as and to seek help. The hotline is called Samaritans and they have a free to call service and are available 24/7, their phone number is: 116 123. They also have a website that you can access here: http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can...you/contact-us.

We hope that we were able to give you some options and to help you think a little more in depth about what you want to do about your situation. We wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to do.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Im 16 and im in states custody i live in kentucky what happena if i get caught

[ccsmod0]

re:

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out today. You’re asking a good question. It sounds like you’re thinking about leaving where you are. It’s smart of you to reach out to get some guidance. So let’s see if we can help you out.

We aren’t legal experts here, but we are able to speak generally as to what might happen if you decide to leave. Basically, your legal guardian has the right to decide where you live because they are legally responsible for you until you turn 18. So the state has the right to decide where you live. If you decide to leave the foster home or the group home, then your social worker/foster parent/case manager would file a report with the police. The police would probably take the report. If they find you, then they would return you back home. If you’re on probation or parole, there might be some consequences for running – like some time in juvenile detention. If you aren’t on probation or parole, then it’s not illegal to run away, so you wouldn’t be arrested. You would just be returned to your placement.

We hope that this is helpful for you. If you’d like to talk more about anything else or have more questions, please call or chat with us. You can call us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm central time. We are confidential and anonymous and are here to answer any questions that you might have.

We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck to you,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Im 15 going on 16 and I want to get myself in school.

I'm about to be 16 in a few months my legal guardian left me and refuses to answer any of my phone calls/emails. How do I go about getting my social, and etc. At the age of 15?

[ccsmod5]

re: Im 15 going on 16 and I want to get myself in school.

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it seems like you are going through a pretty tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are here to listen and to help you in the best way we can. No one ever deserves to be treated the way you have been.

Unfortunately, we are not legal experts here, but we can speak generally about your situation. From what we know, because you are a minor, it seems like you would need to go through child services in order to see what the best way to handle your situation is. Important documents are typically only given to guardians. What you have been experiencing could typically be considered neglect in some states. If you feel like filing a neglect report is something you would want to do, please feel free to reach out to the Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. They would be able to further assist you with filing a report.

Another option could be to contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and they would be able to give you more information on ways of how to go about this. If you feel like you have more questions or if you would want to explore a few more options, please feel free to reach out to us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat service that is available everyday from 4:30 PM to 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to do. We hope to receive your call soon.

Stay strong,

NRS

[sejmarhelvete9]

Help

I'm 16 and I'm from Germany, I don't wanna be told what to do and what not to, my parents are basically putting me in a cage and they treat me like a 4 year old + they're very homophobic and I'm gay and they make me feel like im the worst child on this earth.
My boyfriend moved to California last year and i wanna live with him for a while. Can the police bring me back home? Will my boyfriend get problems with the Police if i run away from home and fly over to California?

[ccsmod3]

Re: Help

Hello and thanks for reaching out to us on our bulletin boards. It sounds like you're dealing with a very difficult situation with your parents and we're sorry to hear they don't support you being gay. We don't judge here and imagine it takes a lot to be yourself in a household that is homophobic. We aren't legal experts and have even less experience with international runaway situations unfortunately. For runaways in the U.S., it can be quite difficult to fly overseas without a guardian as an unaccompanied minor and we imagine it is likely that way in other countries too. You can probably find general information on your chosen airline's website. As far as whether the police would take you back home if you did find a way to make it to California, we can't say for certain how that would work. If your parents are in Germany, then police may take you to a local youth shelter or involve Child Protective Services if family reunification is not an option. In the meantime here are some support resources you may find helpful:

http://www.glbtnationalhelpcenter.org/

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Hopefully this response helps a bit and feel free to reach out on our Live Chat to continue discussing your situation. Good luck!

[guest]

I'm 16 and don't want to stay at home

I'm sixteen and my stepdad "disciplines" me but it leaves bruises and sometimes gives me bloody noses. can i runaway and still be taken in by the cops?

[ccsmod4]

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

Hello,

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.
We are sorry to hear about your situation. It sounds like that what your stepdad considers discipline might be considered child abuse. You do not deserve to be treated this way.
Is there any adult like your mother or another relative you can turn to for help and support?

It sounds like you might be having some thoughts about running away but you are concerned about police response.
If by taken in you mean back home it could be a possibility unless you would want to disclose the reason you left home. You have an option to file a child abuse report with Child Protective Services. You have a right to safe environment so by filing an abuse report it would allow CPS to formally interview and investigate any and all charges of child abuse.

We understand that it’s a big step to come forward and we acknowledge your courage in reaching out to NRS. NRS being a mandated reporting agency can assist you with filing an abuse report and exploring options for emergency shelter. How does that sound?
You might consider taking pictures of any bruises or marks caused by your stepdads actions. This may provide evidence to your allegations of child abuse.

You can contact 1-800-Runaway (786-29029) or visit www.1800Runaway.org (NRS Live Chat) to talk about your situation and explore some possible options for help.

We hope that we have been helpful to you with this information and we wish you the best of luck.
Take Care,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Please help

I'm 16 turning 17 and i live in Minnesota. My life at home is miserable and I'm at the point where I can't take it anymore, I'm planning to leave and my boyfriend is over 18 and I'm planning on moving into an apartment with him. Will he get into any trouble for this if my parents report and find me? I still want to continue going to school but will the police go looking for me there? If I transfer schools will they be able to trace it and then that to the new address I will be at? Is there a way to avoid having to put down your address at a school? Please get bacl to me when possible. Advice from anyone at all willreally help, thank you in advance.

[ccsmod5]

re: please help

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it seems like you are going through quite a tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are here to listen and to help you in the best way we can. It sounds like you are in a very stressful situation and we want you to know that we are here to help.

Unfortunately, we are not legal experts but we can speak in general terms about your situation. In most states you would still be considered a minor, which means that in order to leave home, you would need your parent’s consent. If you were to leave and your parents filed a runaway report and are found, your boyfriend could potentially be charged with harboring a minor, which can result from fines to jail time. Typically, if you are reported as a runaway, you would be in the system as a runaway which means that schools would be the first to be notified. The best way to find out the answers to your questions would be to contact your local police department or to reach out to a legal aid in your state. As we mentioned, we are not legal experts which means that the best way to find out is by reaching out to someone who is.

We hope that we are able to consider some options and are able to provide you with the support needed. If at any point, you do decide to leave, please feel free to give us a call, we are toll free and we would be able to provide you with resources and referrals to shelters in your area. We also have a live chat service that is available every day from 4:30 PM to 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to do and hope to hear from you soon.

Stay strong,

NRS

[lesbianloverclara]

Im 15 and want too live with my friend her mom doesnt care

Her mom doesn't care because she feels bad for me because my parents are harassing me about being gay and they told me that I cannot be gay underneath their house and if I didn't like Ieave they have screen saying I'm and throwing stuff at me and said some really nasty mean things I hate living at home home I can't take it anymore I love this girl Clara would I get in trouble even tough they told me too leave

[Unregistered]

I don't know

Hiya so Erm I'm 16, there's so much going wrong in my life right now I can't cope anymore. I feel like I'm loosing evryone, I'm not eating and panic attacks, breakdowns and crying myself to sleep have all become common every night. I just feel like I need to get away from all the stuff going on, just for like a night to get away from everyone. I'm not suicidal I just need a break so I was thinking a hotel but I can't afford much, anybody any ideas?