legal info

[Unregistered]

I'm 17 and have graduated high school i live in virginia and i was wondering if i could move out?

[ccsmod14]

Re: legal info

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting us here at National Runaway Safeline. We are here to help you out the best that we can.

So we are not legal experts here, but generally speaking in most states the legal age of an adult is 18. This means that if you leave home before that age without your guardian’s consent, they have a right to make a runaway report with the local police department. If they make a report, and the police find you, typically all that happens is they would bring you back home. Running away is not illegal, it is a status offense.

You shared that you are 17 and that you have graduated high school already. That is a lot to accomplish and we want to congratulate you on your success! It sounds like you want to move out of your house before the age of 18. Is there anything specific going on at home that is making you want to leave? We want to let you know that we do not tell anyone what to do here, because you know your situation better than we do. We will not tell you to leave or not to leave, we just want to make sure that you are safe in whatever you decide to do. With that in mind, there are a few things that can be helpful to think about:

What else can I do to improve my home situation before I leave?
What would make me stay at home?
How will I survive?
Who can I count on to help me?
What are my other options?
If I end up in trouble, who will I call?

If you would like to discuss your situation further please feel free to either call our 24/7, anonymous and confidential hotline at 1800runaway or join us on chat from the hours of 4:30pm to 11:30pm CST.

Good luck and stay safe,
NRS

[Unregistered]

legal info

Thank you for responding. To much yelling goes on in the house and they don't listen when you talk to them and i wanted to move in with my sister.

[ccsmod14]

Re: Re: legal info

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us again. It sounds like there is a lot of fighting at your house and you feel like you are not listened to. It has got to be really frustrating to try to communicate about things that you feel or think and feel like you are not being listened to. Have you ever thought about family counseling?

Something somewhat similar to the idea of having a third unbiased party in a counseling session is conference calling. If you were to call us here at National Runaway Safeline (1800runaway), we could make a call out with you to a guardian and act as a facilitator mediating a conversation between the two of you, making sure that you are heard in everything that you want to communicate.

It sounds like you want to live with your sister. Have you talked to her about this? It sounds like this is a person you feel supported by and safe with which is good to hear. Have you talked to your parents about staying with her as well? One option might be to try to reach a compromise with your guardians, maybe staying with your sister half of the week and the other half staying with them at home. Is that something you would be willing to try?

Please call our hotline or join us on chat from the hours of 4:30pm to 11:30pm CST if you would like to discuss your situation further, or need specific resources. We are here to help you the best we can.

Good luck and stay safe,
NRS