I'm recently 17 and about to turn 18 and my parent wont let me leave

[Unregistered]

I'm an immigration came from VietNam on 2010, I will turn 18 on November 17,2014. I want to leave my parent because I feel like I can't stay in this family anymore. I decide to go back to my home country but in hand my parent is holding all my paper work which is my passport, greencard, birth certificate and social security. They said that they won't give me back any paper work even I'm turn 18, so it mean I can't leave the house or the country forever if they doing that. If I call the police and tell them that I'm 18 and legally adult can they help me take back my paper work so I can leave? or is there anyway to make them give me back my paper work? please help, I don't know what to do anymore

[ccsmod1]

RE: I'm recently 17 and about to turn 18 and my parent wont let me leave

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us for help. It sounds like you are in a really tough situation. Once you turn 18, your parents do not have the legal right to withhold your legal documents from you. If they refuse to give you your documents, you have the right to call the police for assistance. If you would like some more information, you might think about calling the police non-emergency number to ask questions about how they might handle this situation. If you have any more questions, please give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. We are looking forward to hearing from you, and wish you the best of luck.

[Unregistered]

im need my papers

Im 17 i ask my parent to give me my birth certificate and my social because my girl friend pregnant and i need to start working

[ccsmod0]

re: im need my papers

Hi there,

Thanks for posting here today. It sounds like you’re working on putting together a plan to make sure that you are able to support yourself and your family. That’s impressive and really great. We’re here to support you in that. You’re asking a good question so let’s see how we can help you out.

You have a right to your identifying documents. So you have the right to your birth certificate and social security card. If your parents are refusing to give them to you, you can contact the police to have them come to your parent’s house with you to get those papers. You can also try to contact your high school to see if they have your transcripts or your paperwork on file.

We are a little unclear as to what your question is though. If you’d like to give us a call or chat with us, we would be able to explore with you a little bit more about what’s going on and maybe provide you with more solid options for you. 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 look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck to you,

NRS

[Guest]

If you want to go to a trip that requires your passport and your 18 , can they legally hold onto your information? My parents refuse to give me any information because they know I've paid for my ticket but still refuse, do I call the non emergency police to assist me?

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like have a trip planned but you your parents are refusing you give you your passport. It must be really frustrating to have this trip planned out but your fate rest in the hands of your parents. We are not legal experts but to our knowledge since you are 18 you passport becomes your legal documentation. Yes you are right you can try contacting your local non-emergency police to see if they can assist you. You can also call us if you think that there is anything that we can do to help your situation. 1-800-786-2929
Good Luck,
NRS

[Guest]

im am 17 and i am tired of depending on my mom for everything but she wont give me my ssc number so i can get a job and its making me mad and i just wanna leave this family cause i get nothing but hate

[ccsmod11]

Hi there,

It sounds like you’re really having a difficult time in your home establishing independence for yourself. This is really unfortunate. We thank you for sharing this information with us and we hope to help.

You mention that your mother is preventing you from getting your social security number. Because you are under 18, it may be more difficult to acquire your social security number, but hopefully these resources can help you figure out a way to either re-apply for a social security card, or can help you figure out if there is some other way to obtain your SSN. This links you to the contact page for the Social Security Administration: https://www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/ and this page links you to a page that shows you what documents you need as a minor to apply for a SSN https://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/ss5doc.htm. Hopefully these resources can provide you with helpful information.

Also, it’s totally understandable that this situation makes you mad. If you ever want to talk about how this situation is affecting your independence, or if you ever just want to vent about your home life, we invite you to all us at 1-800-786-2929. We are here to support you and to provide resources for you as appropriate.

You also mention wanting to leave your family. Many youth choose to run away, and we operate to keep youth as safe as possible if this is something they wish to do. If you are seriously contemplating running away, it may be helpful to come up with a plan for how you would acquire shelter and food. If you would like us to help locate shelters or food pantries in your area, then please give us a call, and we would be more than happy to. We also would be able to help you talk through running away and help you decide for yourself if it is the best option for you.

It also may be helpful for you to know a little bit about the logistics of running away. When a youth runs away, their parents can file a runaway report on the youth. If the police come into contact with that youth, then they will likely just bring the youth home. This is because running away is a status offense rather than a criminal offense. This means that it’s not illegal for a youth to run away, and that the consequences for running away are much less severe than they are for criminal offenses. Therefore, it is unlikely you would ever be arrested or detained for running away from home. We do want to mention, however, that we are not legal experts, so the information that we provide is only general, and may not align with how the laws are written and enforced in your area.

We thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experiences with us. We wish you the best of luck and invite you to contact us for anything you may need in the future.

[Guest]

My Girlfriends is 17 and pregnant and her mother will not give her have SSN card, she has moved out last year and we need to our taxes. Is there away we can make her mother give it to her.

[ccsmod6]

Hi,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reach out to us tonight. It sounds like you and your girlfriend are in a pretty difficult situation right now with her mother keeping her social security card from her. We understand this may be frustrating for the both of you, especially if you are trying to do your taxes. We are not legal experts by any means, so you may have to reach out to your local police department to see what exactly they can do about the situation.

You can also call into our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY, we are 24/7 and we would happily talk to the police on your behalf or do a conference call with them. We wish you the best of luck with everything!

[Guest]

Im 17 and turn 18 in a few months. My mom has my ssc, learners permit, and birth certificate. Shes refusing to give me any of them (even though i paid for my permit myself) claiming that im "untrustworthy". I need to get a job so i can possibly get an apartment once im 18, which is impossible without those. I cant make it to anywhere to get copies and dont have wifi at home, how would i get ahold of these as quickly as possible?

[ccsmod5]

Hey,
Thanks so much for reaching out. It definitely sounds like a frustrating situation. We’re not legal experts, but generally speaking your mother would be able to keep your personal documents until you are a legal adult (in most states, this is 1. Once you are 18, your mother can no longer keep them from you and you have the right to contact your local non-emergency police line and ask for help in getting those documents from your mom if she still refuses.
For now, it might be an option to try and reason with your mother with another adult around, like a guidance counselor or a therapist. Here at NRS, we can also help you have that conversation with her. If you need help getting copies of your documents, you might consider doing that at school or in a public library.
Thank you again for reaching out. If you’d like to speak more specifically about your situation or brainstorm other options, please feel free to give us a call any time. Our number is 1-800-786-2929. We wish you the best of luck.

[Guest]

Can someone please help me? I’m a U.S citizens who is 20 years old. My dad is not giving my passport to me and I can’t handle staying with my parents any longer.. I feel so depressed every day and hope that if I travel back to U.S. I would be ok.. I only have my Aadhaar Card for proof and my d.l. for India.. If anyone can help me *********

[ccsmod7]

Hi there, sounds like you are in a really tricky situation being unable to get back into the U.S. Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we are not legal experts and we do not have any knowledge-base around international law and returning to the country without a passport. You might reach out to the U.S. Office of Overseas Citizens 202-647-5225 or the local U.S. embassy to inquire about how to get home without a passport.

Unfortunately we are unable to provide services while you are abroad. If you ever need any resources once you are in the U.S. please do not hesitate to call or chat us.

Best of luck getting home,

NRS

[Guest]

Hello im 21 yrs old and i want to go to my country but my parents refuse to give me my passport and idk what to do bcause i work i do everything independently and i need to go. How can i make them give me that passport

[ccsmod16]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out today. It sounds like you are in a difficult situation with your parents not giving you your passport.
We are not legal experts but as far as we know, age 21 is considered a legal adult in all states in the USA. This means legally you can move out and live separately from your parents.

As far as getting your passport from your parents, you may be able to contact the police and ask them to assist you in going over to your parents home and getting your passport back. Perhaps there is even a friend or family member who could help you talk to your parents and get your passport from them.

Otherwise, you may need to apply for a new passport through the US postal service which can take several months.

We can also conference call with you to your parents if you want help in having that conversation with them! Call us to do that anytime!

If you would like to talk about more options, feel free to call us. We are here 24/7 at 1-800-786-2929. We are also available via live chat on our website too.

Best of luck in getting your passport! Call or chat if you need to!

[Guest]

Hi there my 17 year old sister ran away from my dad's house and is now living with out eldest sister, my dad is refusing to give her her information (her ssc/birth certificate/shot records) so she can move high schools ASAP she turns 18 April 13 and just wants her documents my dad is a abusive father both physically and mentally and emotionally so she has reason to run away from home and not return. Can we call the non emergency number to get her papers back so she can start school by where my sister lives she's tired of being harassed by my father constantly telling her he will call the police and to come back home.

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you sister and your dad have a history of conflict but she is now finally out of the house. It is great that you are looking out for her and are trying to help her get back into school. You questioned if you should call the non-emergency police for her paperwork. We think that the best way to go about getting her paperwork is to contact your local department of records and see what she would need /have to do to get a copy of her documents.
Additionally since you mentioned that your father is both mentally and physically abusive, we want you to know that you do have the right to make a report with Child Protective Services. Child Help USA is an information and referral line that can connect you with your local CPS abuse hotline. That number is 1-800-422-4453. If you ever felt like making a report or needed help, we are here to assist with that. We understand that making an abuse report can be intimidating so if you like we can call together to provide support. You can always call us anytime 1-800-786-2929

[Guest]

Hi i am 18 and in foster care and my other parents wont give me my birth certificate , social security number , and I.D. is it legal for them to with hold those items or can i press charges against them fro theft

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out today. That seems really unfair that your parents will not give you your vital documents.

Since 18 is typically the age you become a legal adult, you might be able to take legal action against your parents for not allowing you access to your vital documents. However, we are not legal experts so we cannot say for certain. You might try to get in contact with local police, to see if they will escort you into your house to get your vital documents. That is a typical service they provide to those who feel unsafe getting their belongings from where they previously lived.

Another option might be to talk to your case worker or foster parent about your vital documents. If for some reason, you are unable to get them back from your parents, case management services can help you get things like your birth certificate, ID, and social security card. Here is a state by state guide to obtaining your vital documents as well: https://www.nn4youth.org/wp-content/...Copy-FINAL.pdf.

Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you ever need. We are here to listen, here to help.

Best,

NRS

We hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis email/forum. Your feedback plays an important role in helping us improve our services to youth and families. Please click the link to fill out our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think.

[Guest]

Hello im 17 about to be 18 in july im a mother and i live with my boyfriend with my mothers permission (since she kicked me out) and wont give me my legal papers also i work online and im applying for another online job and i would need my ssn and my ID cards she wont even give me anything my boyfriend barely makes enough for us and my mother doesn't want anything to do with me nor help me at all yet she is making me struggle so much i feel she enjoys seeing us like this any advise??

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand that it takes courage to seek help. You mentioned that your mom kicked you out and refuses to give you your important documents. Since you are a minor, it is considered neglect for your mom to kick you out of the house. You do have the option of contacting the police, they may be able to convince her to give you your documents. You could also apply for new documents such as an ID and social security card at your local DMV and social security office. You may want to consider contacting another family member to see if they would be able to assist you. If you have any other questions or just want to talk, please feel free to contact us directly via our 24 hour crisis hotline (1-800-786-2929), email, or live chat.


We hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis email/forum. Your feedback plays an important role in helping us improve our services to youth and families. Please click the link to fill out our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think.

[Guest]

Hello I got placed into a foster home in December 2017 and turned 18 January and moved in with my bf my state worker says she doesn't have any of my documents and can't help me get them because I'm no longer I care my birth mother says that she gave it to my worker when I entered care. So it's been 3 months and we r about to go homeless and I can't get a job or anything and I'm clueless what to do I've tried to go to the DMV and social security office and they say they can't give it to me without proper documentation.so what do I do ?

[ccsmod11]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us. It sounds like you've had a lot of problems navigating social services to get your documentation. This must be very upsetting for you, as you've been doing what you're supposed to and reaching out to others who could have access to these documents. We're not legal experts and therefore don't know all the ways you can replace these vital documents, but the following website may help you figure out how to get your documentation back: https://www.usa.gov/replace-vital-documents. We also are able to help you find a shelter if you need a place to stay. Just call us at 1-800-786-2929 for this assistance.

Best,
NRS

[Guest]

I'm 18 and moved out of my parents house. Well more like they kicked me out. I want to get a job but need my birth certificate. I already have my social security card. My mom refuses to give me my birth certificate and is telling me that it is her's and my dads property, and that I do not have the right to demand them give me my birth certificate.

[ccsmod11]

Hi there,

Thanks so much for contacting us about this issue. While we're not legal experts, we're almost certain that your parents do not own your birth certificate. You may feel free to call your non-emergency police department and confirm this information, and see what other sorts of actions you/they can take to get your certificate back. Additionally, you may find this resource helpful: https://www.usa.gov/replace-vital-documents.

Best,
NRS