16 runaway in Ohio

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for reaching out and sharing a little bit about what’s been going on, we know that it takes a lot of courage. It must be really hard to live in a home where you are constantly walking on eggshells. Running away is a big decision and it can be very stressful to figure out what you want to do.

Absolutely no one deserves to be abused. If you are currently at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. If any harm or abuse is happening at home, you have the right to report it, even if previous CPS involvement did not result in any kind of intervention - the outcome can always be different. 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.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options (like runaway youth shelters) 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.

Stay safe,
NRS

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Hi, I'm 16 yrs old female and my parents are emotionally and sometimes physically abusive. They have no control over their anger and they do things that put me at risk such as driving dangerously over the speed limit and even attempting to choke me once. Because they have absolutely no control over their actions when they get mad, I am scared that one day they will seriously harm me. I've tried calling CPS but they didn't do anything about it because they didn't find any bruises, marks, etc. I want to run away but I don't really have any relatives or friends to go to. I would like to go to another state, what should I do?

[ccsmod8]

Hello there –

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline on our public forum. We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. It must be really hard to feel like you don't have many options or choices in your own life. Must be pretty isolating for sure.

Now we aren't legal experts here and you might have already read on this forum thread about what could happen if you were to leave home before the age of majority. So we won’t get into that since you can find it fairly easily.

Your mother may give you permission to live with another family or relative, but without getting an official document from the court they would still be legally responsible for you. Which means that she can also take away that permission at any given moment and take you back home to live with her once again. So that can be an option for you if you feel like your mother might respond well to you living someplace else or won’t go back on her word when they told you that you could leave home. Maybe coming up with a solid plan about what you’re planning on doing, how everything is going to work, and any miscellaneous things could be helpful in them seeing how much work you have put into this plan and presenting the ideas to both sides (ie. your parents and your older sister).

Hope this was helpful and best of luck to you.

I'm a 16 year old female and want to run away. My mother is extremely unbearable and won't even let me go to school cus she is a mask protester. I'm not allowed a cell phone and I'm not allowed out of the house. She cusses and drinks and neglects anything I tell her. We've been living with her boyfriend for years and he's never hurt me or made sexual advances, but she always acts like he will. I'm not allowed in a room alone with him and he's supposed to be my stepdad. It's very awkward. My mother is constantly yelling at me and cussing me out, I believe she has mental disorders and so do a lot of others but she refuses to accept it. I want to leave and my sister of 21 years of age said I can live with her. If I runaway will the police make me go home? I also don't want my sister in trouble. How do I go about this?

[ccsmod0]

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. You mentioned being on probation. Leaving home may have serious consequences legally. This may be something you would want to run by your probation officer and see if they could link you to any resources in your area.
In regards to your self-harm, there are a few organizations you could reach out to if you are feeling like you need to talk to someone about these major stressors in your life. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. If you text NAMI to 741741, you can text with a crisis worker. You can also always reach out the us at the National Runaway Safeline.
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 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

i'm a 16 year old male my bday is in 5 months and im living in Ohio. I have self harm issues and i'm considering on running away. my reasons are bc of my guardians i do have a girlfriend who is with her gma and she is willing to take me in and her gma works with kids and has more than enough money to fit my needs and there's, also bc of my family's past with drugs and my mom is saying a lot about me which is causing problems for me while im on probation. so i was just wondering if there would be any way for me to get runaway safely and responsibly and for it not to be illegal and if not that way what are some very helpful ways to be able to take the steps to move out from my guardians house or home to a new place and yes i'm willing to take any essentials i have to make this happen including getting a part time job and taking any classes i have to, to show responsibility as a teen to other adults around me..?

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for reaching out and sharing a little bit about what’s been going on, we know that it takes a lot of courage. Running away is a big decision and it can be very stressful to figure out what you want to do. In terms of police response, we aren’t legal experts here at NRS, but generally speaking, if you do opt to leave your home your parents 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. Runaway reports are entered into a national system so police from any state can find if a runaway report is filed, and if you are located by the authorities you will most likely be returned home.

If you do opt to leave home or find yourself to be homeless you still have the right to your education under what’s called the McKinney-Vento act. This act guarantees you the right to stay in your original school and be provided transportation to and from school (to the extent possible), enrollment in a school in your area, receive free school meals and to receive services like educational supports and basic needs. To find out more about how to take advantage of the McKinney-Vento act we suggest calling your school directly.

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. Living on your own can also bring about many safety risks. You will need to consider ways that you can protect yourself from physical harm as well as the possibility of sexual and labor exploitation. 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.

Stay safe,
NRS

I am 17 years old and going to be 18 in 7 months I haven’t ran away yet but I am considering it greatly. I was just wondering how I would be able to finish my high school education if I moved to a different state I have a car so I can get to where I need to go but can the police find me by running my plates? Should I drive my own car or try to hitchhike? I have a job and enough money to get about 4-5 months in before I have to find another job but I was just wondering mostly about going back to school when I settle down in another state because it’s almost half way over with and I don’t want to do it all again next year.

[ccsmod7]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to us, it seems like you are in a tough situation and it’s understandable to want to get out to a potentially better place. It seems like you may want to leave the state if you are avoiding juvenile probation, as such there can be some legal issues as you may have guessed.

First we are not legal experts here, depending on your exact plan it may be good to consult a lawyer familiar with your case, or who knows the laws in your state. Generally running away is not considered a crime. However any crimes commited in the act of running away will be a separate matter. So if you were violating the terms of your probation by running away then you could likely still be charged or be penalized in some way.

As for if you would be in the clear once you turn 18 it is again a matter of the legal issue. A normal runaway with a runaway report out on them when they turn 18 it would roll over into a missing person’s report and the police wouldn’t necessarily be looking for you to bring you back home since you would be an adult. But for probation violation there may be a longer time-period before that gets wiped off. It may be that police aren’t looking for you actively, but there may be penalties remaining past when you turn 18.

Keep in mind that we are not legal experts, so you may want to reach out to legal professionals with these questions as well. We do have legal aid resources if you wanted to call in at 1-800-786-2929. We can also chat online through our website. We wish you the best of luck in the future.

If I where to run away from home at 16 and on juvenile probation.....would I get in troble if I came back when I am 18 could I still get charged with my juvenile offence warrant

[ccsmod6]

Hello and thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear that your parents are treating you in a way that is making you feel stifled and restricted. Your situation sounds very difficult and we would like to do our best to offer you what help we can. If there is something in particular we can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-786-2929 or chat us at 1800runaway.org.

Hi I’m 16 and Im not planning
to run away at the moment but I have twice. Once when i was 12 and once when i was 13 My grandparents have custody of me and they’re super strict they won’t let me get a job which is hard because they aren’t planing to save up for my college and I’m a sophomore in highschool and they won’t let me get my drivers license I’m literally not prepared at all for the real world this year was my first time riding a public bus. EVER! And we are struggling financially.

[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 sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed by things at home right now and you mentioned being harmed. We’re sorry you’re going through this. You don't deserve to be hurt in any way. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. You may also be able to report any mistreatment to CPS. Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453 www.childhelp.org is an organization that helps protect minors from being harmed. It may also be a good place to explore options for staying with another family member or someone you trust as far as transferring custody. It sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed by things at home right now. It sounds like you’re fearing that the situation may end in suicide if things don’t change. Your safety and well-being is important. If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255); www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org is also a great resource to reach out to in addition to our crisis services.
Often, having a safe space to share how you’re feeling may bring a variety of solutions previously not thought of. You are not alone in this. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time.
If you would like to talk more in detail please chat soon through our website www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button) if you are unable to call in. We unfortunately cannot give advice as we are non-directive. You know your situation best
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe,
NRS

So I’m almost 16 and I live in Ohio my home is very mentally and emotionally abusive and they my grandparents use to be physically abuse until I called the sheriffs on them it’s so stressful I am ignored and when I’m not it’s to degrade me or to do whatever work needs to be done I broke down last night and I can’t help but think when I was cutting and suicidal I don’t do that anymore but i need to leave I have a place to go but I don’t want them in trouble because I doubt that my grandparents will sign away their parental rights what do I do? I need to leave here I fear that I will relapse.

Hello I am asking on behalf of a very close releative, i am referred to by this person
as a (non blood related) brother. My cousin wants legal information and is unable to access it. I will not say anything personal but this. This 16-year old teenager is having family issues up to being slapped in the face by parents reglarly, he is homeschool which makes this all the worse and his dad has controller issues up to isolating him from nearly every social group and being present in every social interaction. Is it legal for him to run and stay away from home, can his parents stop him, can he go to jovinile detention for this, does he need a GED? does slapping someone in the face regularly count as abuse? Assuming he does not leave home can he chose to go to public but school agianst his parents' will? And can he join the US armed forces independently? He does have a job to sustain himself but can his parents force him to quit? He lives in Ohio. What are his legal opinion because this is getting out of hand.