Can a 17 year old run away and live with an adult couple in SC legally?

[Guest]

Hi, so I have a friend who is going to be 17 in June and really needs help out of a really abusive situation that nobody seems to do anything about.. DSS has been called, and so have the police, but nothing was done. I have even witnessed the abuse first hand. She hangs out with us often with parent permission right now, but when she turns 17 the plan was to all move out of state and start over. My partner and I will already have a house and jobs lined up for us before we go so that its all ready for us when we get there, and the 17 year old will get her GED and a job once we get where we are going. Will we be able to do this without any legal issues? Or will we run into obstacles? The reason I put SC is because we are moving from SC to another state.

Thank you so much!

[ccsmod5]

Hi there,

Thanks so much for reaching out to us. It’s clear that you care a lot about your friend and are trying to do what’s best for her. No one deserves to be abused, and it is upsetting that DSS and the police have not been effective in ending the abuse thus far. It’s great that you’re thinking about her education and helping her get her GED and a job as well as thinking about her safety.

We are not legal experts and cannot guarantee what will happen if your friend runs away. Often, when the person running away is 17, the police will not complete a runaway report even if a parent tries to file one, since the 17-year-old will soon be an adult. Additionally, the police will likely only actively pursue and try to find your friend if they are given specific information about where she is staying.

Feel free to contact us at 1-800-786-2929 if you want to talk more. We are available 24/7 and are completely confidential.