ranaway15

[Unregistered]

Im 15 and tired I just want to go home but they ss worker tks she kws best when she knows nothing I ranaway frm foster care and don't want to go bk I hate them and miss my mom. What do I do I don't want to get anyone in trouble and I do want to finish school but not if I have to be with them I just wont care

[ccsmod9]

RE: Ran Away 15

Thank you very much for writing us at the National Runaway Safeline where we’re here to listen and here to help. It is very understandable that you would rather stay with your mom than in foster care. You must have a really strong relationship with her. It is unfortunate that things did not work out with you and your foster parents. You must be very resourceful and brave to reach out to us.

As you may know, running away is illegal for people your age. It is what’s called a status offense. Unfortunately, this means that people could get into trouble for helping you to leave home or for allowing you to stay with them without reporting your whereabouts to the police. So, although you may not intend for anyone to get into trouble, there is a chance that they could. People who help runaways can be charged with harboring a runaway, and this could lead them to be fined or worse.

Since you had run away from foster care, those who were responsible for you probably filed a runaway report with the local police. The police then put your information into a nationwide database. Typically, police return youth back home to a parent/guardian provided there were no abuse/home did not prove to be a danger.

As far as school, there is an act called the McKinney Vento Act that allows homeless youth to attend school even though they are not around their parents. According to McKinney Vento, homelessness is when a youth “lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” To learn more about how this act protects your right to attend school, find your state’s liaison here:

http://center.serve.org/nche/states/state_resources.php

Please let us know if you have any additional comments or questions. We would love it if you wanted to call us or chat with us. It may be challenging to be so far from the one you love- your mother. We hope that you are safe and get all of the support and care that you deserve.

We thank you again for writing us. We wish you the best and hope that you make the best choice for you. We also encourage you to call us or message us via chat to talk more! We’d love to provide you with the individualized support that is best suitable for you and your situation. We are available via phone 24/7 and our number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929). By chat, we are available daily from 4:30pm to 11:30pm CST.

Best,

NRS