What are the consequences of a 15 year old running away

[Guest]

Hi imI 15 and my grandmother said that she can kick me out by force so I think that's the ok of letting me run away (btw she did shoved me out the door)

[ccsmod4]

Reply: Hi imI 15 and my grandmother

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on.

You mentioned some things that raise concern for your safety and well-being. It is illegal for any parent or guardian to put a minor out on the street. If any harm or abuse is happening at home, you have the right to report it. We are not experts on the issue, but generally once it's been reported, social services will either decide whether or not to take the case and further investigate. If they do take the case, they will send out someone from child protective services to do an investigation (interviewing people in the household) and from there they will decide the level of danger within the household. It generally ranges from no danger (the youth stays in the home, some services are given, and the case is closed), moderate danger (they will provide family services with possible temporary displacement) and high danger (they will remove the youth from the home and offer certain services).

If you feel like this is an option you want to explore, you may find this website helpful: https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse/. We can also help you to file a report if that’s the route you are considering.

Please be safe and reach out soon by phone or chat so that we may help.
Take care,
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: Your Opinion Matters to Us

[Guest]

I'm 16 and i cannot stand my house anymore i want to leave .My mom said if i threaten to go away she'll call the cops and have me put in juvy but will that really happen? Or is she just trying to scare me?

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out. Sounds like you are dealing with a pretty stressful situation at home and feeling like leaving but your mom threatened police and juvy. Here at NRS, we are not legal experts but we can speak generally about runaway laws. We truly want to support you and inform you of what could happen.

If you leave home without permission, your mom can file you as a runaway with local police and if you are found you generally would be returned home. Running away is not typically illegal, rather it is a status offense or something you cannot do because you are a minor. So you generally would not be sent to juvy, rather you would be returned home.

We hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you would like to talk in more detail about your situation: 1-800-RUNAWAY; www.1800runaway.org.

Best,

NRS

[Guest]

I’m 15 years old living in Minnesota, I genuily hangout with my best friend nearly every weekend when I’m not there it’s becuase I’m being punished unfairly by my moms boyfriend and her, my mothers boyfriend has tried threatening me grabbing me and reaching into my pockets. Everytime I’m not at my friends house I’m stuck at home suffering from nothing to do here and constantly hearing screaming and taking mental abuse, I can’t take it anymore here my best friends house is a lot more safer and a better area to be in were I feel as if I can live my own life. Everyday I come home stressed tired and sick of being here when I know there’s a better place to be at just 20 mins away I’d like to be emancipated and live on my own but the laws are for 16 year olds I’ve even offered living there to my mother a lot of times but she always says I’m probably doing drugs and ect up there so I’ve came to the conclusion of leaving I Just don’t want to put my issues of running away on a amazingly family that only ever cared for me

[ccsmod6]

Hi there. Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline and sharing part of your story with us. It must be really challenging having to come home to a place that makes you feel as if you are suffering. It’s understandable why you would want to live with your friend especially if you consider it to be a much safer environment. It might be helpful to talk with someone like a counselor or a therapist about how you feel when you’re at home. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (1800-950-NAMI) may be able to help and may be able to provide some good coping strategies when you’re feeling stressed. However, if you do decide to leave without permission it may just be important to keep in mind that your parents do have the right to file a runaway report. If a runaway report is filed and you make contact with police you may be required to return back home. However, you do have the right to let authorities know that you don’t feel safe at home. It may also be important to know that your friend and their parents could also be charged with harboring a runaway if you are caught staying with them. We hope this information was helpful. If you would like to discuss your situation further please feel free to reach out to us via phone at 1800-runaway or come chat at 1800runaway.org

[Guest]

im 15 and im scared to go home because i feel like im going to get beat if i don't do things perfectly so i just really want to run away and im always depressed when im there can u help m

[ccsmod6]

Thank you for reaching out to us. It’s not always easy to ask for help, and we’re glad you did.
You definitely deserve to feel safe in your own home, and you deserve to not fear being hurt. If you are ever in immediate danger, please call 911 to keep yourself safe.
There are people out there who can help you, if you are being abused or are afraid of being abused. The National Child Abuse Hotline is one such organization; you can call them 24 hours a day at 1-800-422-4453, or you can find their website at childhelp.org. You can also always call us any time at 1-800-RUNAWAY, or chat with us at www.1800runaway.org.
If you are feeling depressed and you need someone to talk with, you might want to try talking with your school counselor. You can also call the National Alliance on Mental Illness; they can be reached at 1-800-950-NAMI, or by texting NAMI to 741741.
If you want to talk in greater depth about your situation, please don’t hesitate to call or chat us. We are available 24/7, and can help you work through your situation, or to discuss available options and resources. Thank you for reaching out, and best of luck.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

hello im 15 turning 16 and my mom has been mean to me the last 3 years she says im gonna grow up like my dad when I do something wrong which he is in prison for my raping my sister so ever science I was younger I felt like she hasn't been as fair to me rather than my other siblings and she wants to send me away even after I get better about talking back to her and not doing things im not supposed too. the first time I do something wrong she says she still wants to send me to JVC or Boystown and she is always drinking and even comes after me and trys to hit me so I figure that if I just wait till im 18 to go to collage and move out but its to hard I barley feel safe at my house so if I was to run away because I don't feel safe here were could I go and not be chased because I refuse to go back home when i leave if she yells at me anymore. and is it illegal to run away from my mother at 15.

So I live in Iowa and I am 15 and if I was run away for a week or so because I don't feel safe at home if I was to stay at a friends for awhile what would happen and if I just say I was in the woods how would they now your was at a friends house.?

[ccsmod5]

Hi,
It takes a lot of strength to share your story and ask for help, so we’re so glad you reached out to the National Runaway Safeline.

We’re sorry to hear that you don’t feel safe at home. No one should have to feel that way. If you feel comfortable you could discuss your mom’s behavior with a trusted adult, like a teacher, family member, or friend. Furthermore, you could also file an abuse report, which could decrease the probability of you being forced to go back home if the police found you (though we are not legal experts). Fore more information, you can call Child Help at 1-800-422-4453. If you were to runaway, your mom could file a runaway report, so the police would have to bring you back home if they found you. However, they do not typically actively look for runaway youth. Furthermore, running away is only a status offence. In terms of places you could go, other family members and friends are certainly options, but they could get in trouble for harboring a runaway if the police found out. However, once again the police will probably not be actively looking for you. Shelters are also options, which we can help you find if you would like to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also text SAFE and your zip code to 44357 to find safe places to stay in your area.

Thanks again for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. Feel free to chat or call us any time. We are always here to listen and help.

[Guest]

Running away has been on and off my mind. I don't live in a bad place or anything, but the arguments between my sister and I get so bad that I want to leave. Knowing that running away where I live is a status offense, but I was owonderin if I went to a shelter it would be okay.

[ccsmod4]

Reply: Running away has been on and off my mind.

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It sounds like you are frustrated with the relationship between you and your sister. Sometimes the conflict may become so upsetting you just want a time out. You did as good job reaching out today.
We can assist you with trying to first locate a youth crisis shelter in your area and then contacting them with you via conference call to get more information about their services.

We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to or seek emergency assistance immediately.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Take care,
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: Your Opinion Matters to Us

[Guest]

Hello I’m am of 17 years old and am planning on running away before I kill myself, but I don’t know if they can file a report still

[ccsmod5]

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. No one should have to deal having to decide between running away or harming themselves. If you feel you are at risk of hurting yourself, we strongly urge you to call us on the phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. We can help talk you through options or just discuss your situation. We are open 24/7 year round and are confidential.

Regarding running away at 17 in Washington, the age of majority is 18. This means that if you leave without their knowledge, your guardians will probably file a missing persons report. If they fail to do so, they may be charged with negligence. If you run away to a friend's house and the authorities find out, the friend may be charged with harboring you as a runaway. With that said, if you do not feel safe at home, leaving may be the safest option.

There are a few other options worth considering. It seems like you may benefit from having someone to talk to and hear you out without judgment. We have many sliding scale counselors in our database and could refer you to one. If your parents are open to it, we could also help you find a family therapist that could help make you feel heard in your relationship with your parents. Another option to consider is a conference call through the National Runaway Safeline. If you are interested, we could conference call with you and your parents in order to referee and try to make sure everyone feels heard in the conversation.

[Guest]

Hey, I'm 15 years old and I've been thinking about running away. I'm aware that running away doesn't mean that I'll escape all my problems and I can just live on my own and do what ever I want, but I don't want to be home anymore. I have 2 sisters and I'm the middle child, I'm usually the forgotten one. The disappointment. December 2018 I had brought my bf into my house without permission and we had sex. My parents found out and I got into a lot of trouble. I know it was really bad what I did and I shouldn't be expecting to be treated like an angel but ever since then my whole family's been making me feel like garbage. Like I'm worthless. To me it feels like emotional abuse. I never like to cry in front of anyone so I go in my room and I let it all out. Since my family never sees me cry they think I just don't care and I just don't have feelings. But their words hurt. I have hyperthyroidism so i lose weight fast, meaning I eat like a normal girl but my body burns my fat very quick. Thus, I'm very skinny. My mom judges my body when I wear something tight. She says really mean things and although I laugh and brush it off like a joke.. it actually really hurts. I have anxiety and in my head every little thing is a BIG deal. I hate the way I am, I think I'm so ugly. My parents took me out of public school so now I have school online. They took me from all my friends, and they take my phone all the time so I have no one to talk to. My older sister judges me and my younger sister doesn't understand. I went through depression before and i used to hurt myself. I stopped hurting myself because I know it's not safe and I know it won't fix anything. But still, sometimes i do wanna hurt myself. When I used to hurt myself I did it as a way to distract me from my current emotional pain. So i could lose focus of the pain in my heart and focus on the pain in my wrists. I really really want to run away and be happy because I'm not happy at home. I'm not happy at all. I told my mom I wanted to go to therapy but she said no. What do I do?

[ccsmod2]

We very much appreciate you reaching out for help and contacting us. It sounds as if being at home is a very big struggle at the moment. We also would like to thank you for trusting us enough to tell us about the self harm and health issues you are dealing with. Bodies come in all kinds, and just because people say mean things doesn’t mean you aren’t perfect as you are. The National Institute on Mental Illness (name.org) and National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (suicidepreventionlifeline.org) have great people to talk to if you are interested and can be done over chat.
If you would like to talk to us more, you can chat with us online or give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We could listen to you, help you connect with a therapist or legal resources, and come up with a plan. Please don’t hesitate to reach out, we would love to hear from you!

[Guest]

What happens when a 12 year old runs away and what are the consequences?

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

We aren’t legal experts here at NRS, but generally speaking, if you do opt to leave your home your parents/guardians can file a runaway report, which is essentially a missing person report. Running away is a status offense; this means that it isn’t illegal, but it’s something you can’t do while still a minor. If a runaway report is filed and you are located by the authorities you will most likely be returned to your parents/guardians.

It’s important to consider all the possibilities that can occur if you leave home. You will need to plan out how you will cover basic necessities like travel, food, clothing, etc. If you have a place to go in mind, it’s good to see what the expectations of the living arrangement will be like; rules, the amount of time you’re allowed to stay, if you’re expected to contribute financially, etc. This can all influence your decision to leave.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

All the best,
NRS

[Guest]

I feel like everything I do is wrong. I am the oldest child of 4 and my stepdad favors all of them I am always stuck in my room alone I can never hang out with my family and I get in trouble if I try talking to my mom. I just am tired of being told by him that no one loves me and everyone wants me gone. I just wanna run away but the thing is is that I don't ever wanna come home. I hate the verbal abuse and having to go into school pretending everything is ok when its not. I dont know what to do anymore and I am to afraid to tell anyone the things he says to me because I dont want my mom to hate me. I wanna run away but I dont know how.

[ccsmod10]

Thank you for telling us your story and reaching out. It can be difficult to manage situations like this and you don’t have to do it alone. No one deserves to be told that they are not loved and be verbally abused. If you haven’t already, you could consider reporting the abuse you’ve been experiencing. If you want more information about abuse reporting or if you want to file a report, you could call Child Help at 1-800-422-4453.

Running away is a big decision and it can be very stressful to figure out what you want to do. We’re not legal experts here at NRS. Generally it’s not illegal to leave home, but your parents could file a runaway report, the police could get involved, and they could bring you home. The people you’re staying with could potentially get in trouble for harboring a minor, depending on your age. Policies may vary by each department. You could consider calling your local nonemergency police department to ask about their policies. We also have legal aid resources here if you have specific questions about the laws in your state.

If you don’t feel safe and feel like you need to get away Nationalsafeplace.org provides a safe location for you to meet a staff member who can take you to a designated place where you can discuss all options about how to stay safe. You can text 44357 the word “safe,” and your location to find a safe location in your area. Once you arrive let someone who works there know you need help connecting with a staff member.

One service we can offer is to conference call with your parents. This way you could have a conversation with your parents but you would not be alone. For example, it may be hard for you to explain to your mom how you are feeling about the things your dad says to you. Sometimes those conversations go better in a conference call because we can advocate for you. If you want to reach us, you can chat with us anytime at 1800runaway.org or call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We’re here 24/7, and we are ready to listen and help however we can.

Wish you the best
-NRS.

[Guest]

I'm 15 and currently in Michigan and heading farther up north. My home is in Iowa, near Iowa City, and I want to run away back to my home. I'm thinking about either hitchhiking or lyft. I just want to go back to my house, get some sleep, and go to school in the morning. My mother and stepfather think that it's fine if I miss a few days of school but I have some in class projects due soon, some tests to take, and good grades that I want to keep good because I want to go to college, but if I miss a lot of school, I can't go to college because I won't do good. What would happen if I run away back to my house? I don't think the police can just drive me back to Michigan when I'll be at home and safe at home. What can they do? Would they call my family to bring them back to Iowa? Would I be forced to go back on the trip with them? Can I be forced to go back home instead of running away? I really don't want to cause too much problems and I don't know if a status offense will cause any problems for me getting into college or get a job. (Especially since I want to work with the police, forensic scientist.)

[ccsmod6]

Hello and thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We’re so glad that you reached out to us and we hope you are safe. You sound like you have a lot of ambition and we would be happy to do whatever we can to help you realize it.

We actually have a program called Home Free where we partner with Greyhound to reunite runaway youth with their families and while we cannot guarantee anything, it sounds like you may qualify for a free ticket home. In order to get the process started, you would have to reach out to us on our 24/7 confidential hotline 1-800-786-2929.

In regards to the questions you have, your situation sounds very complex but we will do our best to answer them. While we are not legal experts, we do have a great deal of experience working with runaways. If your legal guardian has filed a runaway report, the police are entitled to notify them and return you home or hold you in their custody until they figure out how to return you home. If you were already at home at the residence of you legal guardian, it would seem unlikely for the police to take any additional action. With regards to you being forced to go on a trip, that sounds more like it would be up to your parents. You are correct that running away is considered a status offense. This might show up on your record until you are 18 and it is sealed, but it usually has no bearings on being accepted by a school or employer.

If you want to talk in greater detail about what’s going on, we may be able to give you some more precise information about your situation and what options you have. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us over the phone or on our website at 1800runaway.org.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

What if you runaway and go to a different state , what will happen ?

[ccsmod9]

Hi there,
Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It seems there is a lot that you are faced with right now and you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options. It seems you want to know some information on runaway laws.
While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.
We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email to assist you. If you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
Be safe,
NRS

[Guest]

i have been thinking about running away for a while i dont really like ebing in my house at the moment my family it seams as if they dont like me and i always get the blame for things and i get told of, what are the consequence of running away

[ccsmod5]

Hi, thank you for your message. It sounds like things at home are challenging right now and it’s brave of you to reach out. You write that your family doesn’t like you, blames you, and tells you off. That is hurtful. You deserve to feel loved and supported where you are. If you ever want to talk with your family about how you’ve been feeling, there are many options to explore. Those include family counseling, family meetings and contracts, or mediation through our conference calling service. Our conference calling service can help you have a respectful and hopefully productive conversation with one of your guardians about how you’ve been feeling. As for running away, we are not legal experts but can give some general information. Generally speaking, a person under age 18 is considered a minor and unable to leave home without permission from their legal guardians. If you choose to leave without permission, your family would have the right to file a runaway report and if the police are able to find you they will likely return you home. Thank you again for your message. If you have any questions, need help finding resources, or just need someone to listen, we are here 24/7 at 1-800-786-2929. We wish you the very best.
Sincerely,
NRS