Missouri 17 YO Runaway Laws

theoretically if i was 17 and my mom had legal custody of me but i lived with my grandparents then i was told to leave and i and my friends dad went and picked it up and my grandparents handed them my birth certificate can they call the police and get my friends parents in trouble

[ccsmod5]

Hi, thanks for reaching out to us at NRS. So the decision for who you can stay with depends on who currently has custody of you. You mentioned that your aunt is pursuing guardianship, so is your legal guardian right now your parents? If that's the case, then your parents would get to decide if you were able to live anywhere else.

There are exceptions to this rule, the first one being if your guardian or caretakers are determined to be abusive (physically, sexually, emotionally, or neglectful. If this is the case, you can call Child Help at (800) 422-4453.

The second exception would be if you wanted to file for emancipation, which is an often lengthy process that allows you to show to the court that you are able to support yourself and live independently from your parents. To learn more about this process, you can call one of the following numbers:
Poplar Bluff Phone number: 573-840-9540

St. Louis Phone number: 314-340-6904


Running away is not technically illegal for you, but if your guardian called in a runaway report they could have you returned, or the adults you choose to stay with could get in legal trouble. Please don't hesitate to call us if you want to explore your options further: (800) RUNAWAY. We are open 24/7.

Good luck!
NRS

Hi I live in Sikeston mo I don’t live with neither of my parents I stay with my auntie and she trying to get gaurdianship over me but In a couple a months I will be 17 years of age I’m capable of supporting myself I work and my BF mom said it’s okay for me to live with them can I move out without my auntie consent?

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. From what you shared, it seems like you are ready to leave but are not sure about what to do at this point. We want you to know that we are here to listen and to help in the best way that we can.

We do want to mention that we are not legal experts here, but we are able to speak in general terms. With that shared, we are not necessarily here to tell you what to do, but we are able to explore some options. You mentioned that you are currently in foster care, meaning that the state has guardianship over you. If you are a minor and were to leave without consent, if you were found, typically you would be reported as a runaway. Talking with your caseworker will probably be the best option for you, in order to get verified answers to those legal questions.

We want you to know that you are not alone, remember that you are able to give us a call and we will try to help you to the best of our ability. We wish you the best of luck and remember that we are here to listen and to help. 24/7.

Stay strong,

NRS

Can I move out in Missouri if I’m a foster care kid? I’m almost 17 as in this weekend can I move out or do I have to ask my caseworker. I have a place to live with my friend and her family. They have a room for me and they plan to have it ready. I don’t like my place I’m living everyone is rude to me and treats me like crap. I don’t get to do anything either. So I was wondering what the rule was for moving out at that age. Please I need some advice.

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand that it takes a great deal of courage to seek help. It sounds like you are planning on running away tonight. Your safety is very important. Having a plan about where you would go and how you would take care of yourself is essential. If you decide to leave home and need a safe place to stay, we could look up local resources for you. If you are under 18, and you decide to leave home your parents have the right to file a runaway report. With a runaway report, if the police find you they would return you home. Running away is not illegal, but if you decide to stay with a friend they could get in trouble for harboring a runaway. If you have any 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

Running away tonight

Im planning on running away tonight and i have stuff packed, and my parents are asleep i don't know if i should go to my friend's house who lives a few minutes away from me or just not run away. It's nighttime where i am and i don't know if its safe to go now.

[ccsmod5]

Hi,
Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you’re in a tough spot and are wanting to leave. We’re not legal experts, but to our knowledge you need to be 18 years old to leave home without parental consent. If you do leave without permission, your family would have the right to file a runaway report and if the police find you, they may return you home. Any adult who houses you may be charged with harboring a runaway.
That being said, we don’t have a lot of information about your situation and you know best whether or not it’s safest for you to leave. If you want to talk about the situation more specifically and figure out your options, please feel free to reach out to us by calling 1-800-786-2929. Best of luck.

I turn 17 in a few weeks and my cousin who ran away last year plans on helping me move to a safe place in Texas with him.

Would I... be okay to leave?

[ccsmod1]

Hello,


Thanks for sharing your situation and reaching out to us for help. We are really sorry to hear that you feel unwelcome at home. It sounds like you are having a really hard time with your dad right now, and it is understandable that you would want to move out. 18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. As for your medication and your health needs, if you do run away it sounds like you would still rely on your dad for health insurance. If you see the doctor or pick up your prescriptions, your dad will be able to find out about it on his insurance statements. It is possible that he could cut you off insurance, or that you may find yourself unable to access health care as a runaway. Denying you access to your medication could be considered medical neglect, which is an illegal form of child abuse, however this could be complicated by the fact that you are not living at home if you have run away without permission. You may think about making a plan for how you would afford your medications if you lost insurance. You should also know that anyone who takes you in while reported as a runaway could be at risk for criminal charges for harboring a runaway. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to give us a call. We are happy to talk through your options and help you come up with a plan to deal with your situation and stay safe. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon, and wish you the best of luck.

Hi, I am 17 and i have terrible family problems. Me and my dad don't ever get a long and we don't have any connection. When i walk through the door I don't feel welcome in my own home. I live in Missouri. I take prescription medication for a stomach problem. I have to take them to stay alive. Im worried that if I move out my dad can cut the medication plan and I wont have any way to get them. I was wondering if there is anyway I can pick up my medication even tho im only 17.

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS through our forum. It looks like you’re interested in what runaway laws are in Missouri. While we’re not legal experts, we do have basic knowledge on those laws and what usually happens.

Running away, as a minor (under 1, is a status offense. Your age is your status and as a minor, you’re not able to leave the house without your parents’ permission. If you runaway, your parents are able to make a runaway report with the police. They sometimes go looking for you, but not always. If they come across you, while you’re on the run, they usually just take you home. Sometimes they require youth to go through counseling, but it’s not common. You can’t be arrested for running away. If you runaway multiple times, the court can take different actions. Also, we see police not taking runaway reports on 17 year olds who are soon to be turning 18. Since we’re not experts on every states/cities runaway laws, we do offer to call out with youth or for youth, to their local police stations. So we can get the exact answer on their protocols. If you do runaway, we also have a database of runaway/youth shelters if you’re not sure on where you can go.

We hope that our response is helpful and if you want to use our conference calling option with the police, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our safeline is open 24/7, so we’re always a call away.

Be safe, NRS

What are the runaway laws in missouri. I can't seem to find a sight for them

[ccsmod6]

Hi,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reach out to us tonight! We're sorry that your mom changed her mind about you leaving. It sounds like there's some tension between you guy that is making things a bit difficult. Her hitting you is never okay, and we are sorry to hear that you had to deal with that. If her hitting you is a regular thing know you have the right to report it. You can call out to child help at 1-800-422-4453.

So for the most part if you leave home before the age of 18 you could be considered a runaway. Your mom could call your local police department and file a runaway report for you if you were to leave home without her permission. Running away is not illegal but it is considered a status offense, so what means that you would not get arrested for running away or anything along those lines but you would be taken back home if you were found.

Your being 17 makes thing a little bit different, though. Sometimes the police will not take a runaway report for a 17 year old because they are so close to being 18. This really differs from police departmentto polcie department though so you would actually have to call out to your local police department in order to find out what exactly they would do about your situation. If you want, you can call into our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY, we are 24/7 and we would be more than happy to call out to your local police department for you if you do not feel comfortable doing so yourself.

We wish you the best of luck with everything! Again, please don't hesitate to call us with whatever else you need.

Hi, im 17, 2 months from being 18
my mom told me to leave last night and now she says i cant. . She just slapped me across the fce after i packed. Can i leave without getting in trouble?