i want to runaway again but it's called absconding?

[Guest]

Hi, I'm 15 years old, and a foster child, i've ran away like 5x before and live in florida, last time i ran away the cops told me tha if i continued to runaway i could be charged with something called absconding. i don't understand what absconding means. i read some of the other posts and it was said that it's a status offense because of being a minor. I don't understand that either,
i'm thinking of running away again and if i do i won't come back until i'm 17 and a half so i can enroll in the local community college for ssix months to earn my high school diploma, then go to college. i really don't want to take that drastic of a measure again, but i feel as if i'm caught between a bunch of rocks and a bunch of hard spots, i was arrested on thursday the 14th of june, my biological mother is trying to get my biological father to try for custody of me, he never signed away his parental rights, but i was adopted by my bio mom's aunt when i was 10 months old. i stayed with my adopted mother until i was 13 and then i ran away for 10 months and came back when i was 14, five months later i ran away and got picked up the next day and put in a girl's shelter, i ran away from there 3x and stayed away the last time for six months, then i turned myself in a couple counties over from where i ran away from and i've been in foster care ever since. i really don't want to go back to my adopted mom's house, she moved to missouri and i don't want to go to my bio dad's because i don't lilke him, and he's just going to send me to live with my bio mom who is irresponsible and does drugs and doesn't even take good care of herself. please help me figure out less drastic options!!! oh i forgot a major point, i'm not eligible for adoption and don't want to be in foster care anymore

[ccsmod7]

Re: i want to runaway again but it's called absconding?

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard. I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time right now. It sounds like you're not happy with where you live right now and you're trying to figure out the best option for your situation. In your bulletin you asked what absconding was. Absconding is a term that police usually use when referring to someone who is leaving their location without permission. Generally it's used when someone has a warrant or a court date and they are not supposed to leave the general area but they do anyways. It sounds like you've runaway before, where do you usually go? Where are you thinking about going if you runaway this time? If you could do anything, what would your ideal situation be? Have you spoken to anyone about how you feel, and that your not happy with your situation? A counselor or caseworker? It sounds like a tough situation and one that doesn't have an easy answer. One number I can give you is called Justice for Children 1-800-733-0059, they might be able to better tell you some of your legal options. Also if you would want to call us here at 1-800-RUNAWAY we could try and talk through some of your options and discuss other resources that might help. We are completely confidential and open 24hrs so there is always someone here to talk. Good luck with everything.

[Unregistered]

i feel the same

hi, im 14 and im in the same sorta mess as you. i was abused by my adoptive perents and then my adopted mum died then the abuse got worse i was always getting made to do things. now i live with a family friend but my real mum is trying to get me back i cant stand waiting any more so i have thought about running away but she live's about 3 hours away and dont know how to do it any advice?

[ccsmod6]

Re: I feel the same

Hi:

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard. It sounds like you are in a tough situation and we are sorry to hear about the abuse that you’re experiencing. Have a child abuse report ever been filed? If you wanted to file a child abuse report or had any questions about doing so, you can contact Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453.

Unfortunately we cannot give advice but we can discuss some options. How did you come about to live with a family friend after the death of your adopted mother? Is it at all possible for your biological mother to file for custody of you? There may be options available for you; however, we would need additional information before we can explore them. For immediate assistance, you can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY; our hotline is confidential, anonymous, and available 24 hours 7 days. We could discuss a safe place, legal aid, counseling, child abuse reporting, or other services that may be of use. We can conference calls with social service agencies or assist with filing a child abuse report as well.

Keep in mind if you ever feel like you are in immediate danger, you can always dial 911.

We look forward to hearing from you. We hope you are safe and remember that no one deserves to be abused and everyone should be able to live in a safe environment.

~ NRS

[HELP!!!!]

17 year-old ran away want to stay with me

The house she lives in is "hell" i too was once a foster child who lived in that house, and the runaway want to come stay with me but i have no clue what to do . I dont want to turn ehr away and she ends up looking for help in the wrong person. Help me find a nice foster family in my area please.

[ccsmod8]

Re: I want to runaway again but it's called absconding?

Hello,

Thank you for responding to what was already posted and sharing your thoughts on the matter. It's good to hear you share some understanding of the situation at hand but we tend to treat each post seperately. We are not in the position to tell you what to do but we can be of assistance given the nature of your situation. Laws governing runaways tend to vary from state to state. Most 17 year olds may run the risk of being called in as a runaway and then the folks involved in harboring may be risking charges of committing a crime.

We understand your desire to help someone in need. However, we can only approach this from the standpoint that given the gravity of the situation it may be helpful for the youth to call us directly at 1800RUNAWAY for support and resources. One option may be to call the police to find out what they are risking and how the police responds as it comes down to their discretion. We are not the main authority on placements for foster care but can provide the resources for the organization to contact to look into such matters. We hope this cleared up some of this issue. We are here to help 24 hours a day at 1800RUNAWAY. We are confidential and anonymous.

-NRS

[Unregistered]

im17 in three months. my friends rents decided not to adopt me and kicked me out at court. the judge placed a pick up notice in my name. its been a mo th withoht a sign of anyone looking for me. dhs said they were. but if they are like they said id already be found. jut wanting to know my options. and wat they will do if they do look for me. stuff like that. i live in iowabtw

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard. We are a 24 hour a day crisis line for runaway and homeless youth. We’re glad that you contacted us during this difficult time and we hope to provide you with some assistance.

You said that your friend’s parents decided not to adopt you; had you been living with them before hand? What caused you to stay with your friend? When you say that it’s been a month does that mean this all happened a month ago?

Unfortunately, we are not legally trained at the National Runaway Switchboard but we do have a database of resources. We can provide you with some numbers and hopefully, they will be able to give you specific answers to your questions.

Generally speaking, it is not a crime to runaway. What that means is that if DHS is looking for you and locates you, they will more than likely return you to your legal guardian. If DHS is looking for you, does that mean you have a caseworker? They may be someone you could contact if you have questions. If you are nervous about calling them yourself, we here at the National Runaway Switchboard can help you make a conference call to them.

One resource that may be able to help you is the Iowa Homeless Youth Centers. They have legal services, information and referrals and other similar services. They can be reached at 515-265-1222 or online at www.iowahomelessyouth.org. It looks like they are available 24 hours a day and have no fee for their services.

Another legal aid service in Iowa is the Crisis Intervention and Advocacy Center. They also offer housing, counseling and basic support services. Their 24 hour hotline is 1-800-400-4884. There is also the Teen Line that is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-443-8336.

You can also call us here at the National Runaway Switchboard. We are a confidential and anonymous hotline that is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We can try to find you other resources or discuss what other options may be available to you.

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck.

~NRS

[mells]

im stuc

hi,
im 17 years old and im in foster care...ive been in and out of the children and youth system since i was 1 n a half...things just keep getting harder and children and youth tell me one thing and then they switch up there story...i want out...i cant deal with people always being up my but...part of me doesnt believe that they even care...ive ran away like four times already and nothing happened...but i dont want to beh here...ill be 18 next month...but i honestly cant wait that long...please tell me what i can do...everythings falling apart...and nothing ever stays the same...

[ccsmod3]

Re: i want to runaway again but it's called abscounding?

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Switchboard. We are sorry to hear about all the trouble you are having with Children and Youth. It sounds very difficult and that this last month is becoming more than you can take right now. We are not here to tell you exactly what to do, but we can go over possible options. Running away is normally just a status offense meaning the reason you can’t leave without permission is simply due to your age. Unless you commit another crime, even if a runaway report is filed and police find you, they would usually just send you back home.

Since you are so close to turning 18, have you spoken to a case worker about what your plans are once you exit out of the system? Most states offer transitional living programs for youth 18 to 21 and can help with independence, educational, and career options. If that sounds like it might be an option for you, you are welcome to contact us directly by either calling us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chatting with us through our “Live Chat” by clicking on the red button. We wish you the best of luck and please let us know if there is anything else we can do.

-NRS

[Guest]

13 in Florida
I want to run away from my bio mom to my bio dad, she beats me with leather belts as hard as she can to the point where her arm is sore. Most recently yesterday she beat me 14 times with a leather belt as hard as she could. The beatings started when i was 5-8 years old. I have a plan. She took my phone so, i am going to get a backup phone from a friend and take my phone back. I have another friend who i can get to drop me off at my uncle's house then have my bio dad pick me up and stay with him. I have two bags full of clothing and essentials to last me 2 wks. Does any of this have to go to court? If i wanted to stay with my uncle instead of my dad could I? Does any of this require her permission? Which parts do require her permission and which parts don't? She also verbally abused me. She tells me i am bad at this and that to uplift my two younger siblings. She also tells me I'm not good enough to do things and i start to believe her so i give up early and never finish things i could be great at. I'm not sure if either one of these is faucial types of abuse but...

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for contacting The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. It sounds like you are going through a really difficult situation. You do not deserve to be treated this way. Any type of abuse is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. You can make an abuse by calling Child Help- 1800-422-4453. We know that making abuse reports can be scary, if you would like our help you can call us at any time.
We are not legal experts but we do have general knowledge of laws. If you are a minor (under 1 you may be considered as a runaway if you leave home without your guardian’s permission. If your bio dad has custody of you than it may not be considered running away. Running away is not a criminal offense it is a status offense. What that means is if you were to runaway and the police found you they would most likely bring you back home. You could try asking for her permission to live with your dad. We know that having that conversation can be difficult, at NRS we offer conference calling. What that means is you can call us and we can call out to your mother, and help mediate and support the conversation.
We hope this information will be helpful to your situation. If you have any more questions or would like to talk more please feel free to call us, we are here 24/7. We wish you the bet of luck!.
NRS