18 but haven't graduated, can I leave home without consent

My daughter has her Best Friend that has been confined to her home for years and been through emotional abuse. She cannot do anything in the home without having her parents watching her 24/7. Her father has even going to the point of having to sit right next to her and watch everything that she does on her computer, she has to ask to eat anything in the home, cannot leave the house and is to stay in her room unless she is on the computer where they can see everything that she is doing. She cannot talk to anybody at all. She has not had a phone and cannot call anybody. My daughter and her have been planning her escape for over 2 years now. She turned 18 2 weeks ago. DCFS has been called in and the mother will not let her talk to them. Myself and the school have called them. She also had a notebook of everything that has been done to her over the years and he mother tore her bedroom apart and took it from her. My question is can we go and get her from the home? She wants to leave. I have a room ready for her and everything. I have known this girl since they were in the 2nd grade and they never let her out for anything. I have also confronted the mother about having her over and it is always no. My daughter has stopped by her house to make sure she is ok and gets the door slammed in her face. I want her to come to a place where she is comfortable. Can I do this so my family does not get in trouble. I live in Illinois. Thank you.

[ccsmod15]

Hi,
Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad to be a resource to you as you navigate your rights, and figure out your next steps.

It sounds like you want to know if you can leave your home as an 18-year-old who is still in secondary school. We are not legal experts here at the National Runaway Safeline, but it is our general understanding that once a person turns 18, in most states (Michigan included) they are able to leave their home without parental consent. This should apply even if the person is still in school. You might consider reaching out to Ozone House in Ann Arbor at 734-662-2222. They are a legal service that can refer you to other, more local legal services in your area that specialize in youth rights issues like yours.

If you are interested in talking to us about your plan to leave, we would love to be a resource to you. We can help you get a good grip on where you might go, how you might get there, and what you might do to survive once there.

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you did not, we encourage you to reach out to us by phone at 1-800-RUN-AWAY or by instant message at 1800runaway.org. We hope you stay safe and stay strong.

Sincerely,
NRS

i just turned 18 can i leave my mothers house and im in 12 grade i live in flint Michigan

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for reaching The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen.
We are not legal experts but in Minnesota the legal age to leave home without parental consent is 18 years old. So even though you are still in high school you would be allowed to move out of your parent’s home.
We hope that this information will be helpful to you in your situation. If you have any other questions or would like to explore more options please give us a call. We are here 24/7 to listen and to provide support to you. Best of luck!
NRS

I’m 18 and still in high school in Minnesota, can I move out of my parents house and move in with my girlfriend??

[ccsmod13]

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. NRS is a safe and confidential space for young people to receive support and resources. We are a non-directive and non-judgmental space for you talk through your situation and explore your options. We are here 24/7 to listen and help.

Our email and Bulletin services are different in that we can only respond twice. If you would like to talk more in detail about your situation and receive immediate help, we encourage you to reach out to us through our hotline at 1-800-786-2929 or use our live chat services at 1800runaway.org (click on the CHAT button on our website homepage). We can do our best to answer any questions that you have and provide support and resources!

We look forward to hearing from you soon so that we can help,
NRS

how can i reach out to you personally i have lots of questions and no one i can talk to, to learn more about leaving home

[ccsmod15]

Since you are 18 you are more than likely considered a legal adult which means that you can move out if you want to and you won’t be considered a runaway. As a legal adult, you have a right to make your own decisions about where you live. We can help you make a plan for how to deal with your situation and help you find resources to land on your feet. It might be worth looking into transferring to a different school and see if that is an option once you leave, or into GED programs as well if you are concerned about not having a high school degree and being behind your peers in a year or so. Having a plan for where you will live and how you will survive once you move out can be very helpful. Moving can be a huge step, and you don’t have to be alone. Some steps you can take towards independence might be to find employment if you don’t have an income, or to save up money for moving expenses. It can also be helpful to research rents in your area, find a roommate, or make a budget. Another thing you might want to consider is what kinds of things you depend on your parents for currently such as tuition expenses for school, or health insurance, and whether they would continue to provide those things after you leave. There may be social service agencies in your area that can help meet some of these needs, such as Transitional Living Programs, a kind of shelter where young adults can live and get services to help them transition to independent living. We are here to listen and help however we can.

hello I'm 18 years old

i would like to know if i can move from the state without the graduation and let's say if i'm not going to have problems if i just left home

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, it takes great courage to reach out and we are so glad that you have decided to reach out to us.
We are sorry to hear that you do not like your living situation. We are not legal experts but we do have some information on the laws. In California the legal age to leave home without permission is 18 years old. So if you are 18 you would legally be allowed to leave home without permission.
We hope that this information answered your question. If you have any other questions or would like to explore more options, please give us a call. We are here 24/7 to listen and to provide support. We wish you the best of luck!
NRS

hello i’m 18, my aunt and uncle have legal guardianship over me but i can’t stand to live here any longer they are still trying to control everything in my life, invading my privacy, and just not letting me become an adult. my friends parents said i can move in with them am i legally aloud to do that without my aunts permission. i live in california so i’m not sure what the rules are.

[ccsmod0]

Since you are 18 you are more than likely considered a legal adult which means that you can move out if you want to and you won’t be considered a runaway. As a legal adult, you have a right to make your own decisions about where you live. We can help you make a plan for how to deal with your situation and help you find resources to land on your feet. Having a plan for where you will live and how you will survive once you move out can be very helpful. Moving can be a huge step, and you don’t have to be alone. Some steps you can take towards independence might be to find employment if you don’t have an income, or to save up money for moving expenses. It can also be helpful to research rents in your area, find a roommate, or make a budget. Another thing you might want to consider is what kinds of things you depend on your parents for currently such as tuition expenses for school, or health insurance, and whether they would continue to provide those things after you leave. There may be social service agencies in your area that can help meet some of these needs, such as Transitional Living Programs, a kind of shelter where young adults can live and get services to help them transition to independent living. We are here to listen and help however we can.

Hey I’m 18, and I plan on moving out without my parents consent, and I haven’t graduated, am I allowed to move somewhere else and enroll myself back into another school

[ccsmod13]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS. While we are not legal experts, we can speak generally on this. The age of majority in Georgia is 18 which means you are considered a legal adult. Even if you have not yet graduated from high school you are still an adult with the legal freedom to choose where you live. If you are still having some concerns about this, you can call the non-emergency line for your local police department to ask if they would force you back in the event you left home.

If you have any more questions or would like to talk more about the situation, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are available for immediate support by phone 1-800-786-2929 or through live chat 1800runaway.org.

Good luck,
NRS

I'm 18 and live in Georgia my dad and stepmom have said that I will not be legally allowed to move out because I haven't graduated yet. Can I move out?