Can I leave my home at 16 without my parents' consent?

hi, im 15, im gonna b 16 in january, my dad sometimes hits me, less often now since i told the state, but he still does, he also hits my little sis and twin brother and i cant do anything abt it, my parents r also emotionally abusive to me as well, i have a safe place 2 go, and i need 2 get outta there or else i might actually kms, i almost have cuz of them b4, is there any way i can get out of there, i dont have a phone cuz my parents dont want me documenting when my dad hits me, and they allow my little sister 2 hurt me a lot, is there any way for me 2 get out of my house?

[ccsmod15]

We want to let you know that we are proud of you for reaching out for help. You should not have to feel like your mental health is being threatened in the home. You deserve to feel at peace and supported in your home.
There are some questions we’d like you consider first before running away.
• What else can I do to improve my home situation before I leave?
• What would make me stay at home?
• How will I survive?
• Is running away safe?
• Who can I count on to help me?
• Am I being realistic?
• Have I given this enough thought?
• What are my other options?
• If I end up in trouble, who will I call?
• When I return home, what will happen?

Does anyone else know about the mental abuse you have been experiencing (friend, teacher, relative, counselor or someone you trust)? Sometimes it may feel less scary knowing that we have other person to talk to about the abuse and how we are feeling. Have you considered talking to Child Protective Services (CPS)? If you would like to make a report or want information about abuse and your safety, then they can assist with that. CPS can assist with identifying, treating, and reducing child abuse and or neglect. They want to make sure efforts are made to protect and maintain your safety at home. You can make a report with CPS of any abuse and/or neglect if you would like. CPS will take the information and determine what their next step will be. You can ask them also what they will do next. The more information you can provide to CPS will help to build a case. Also anyone that knows about the abuse can make a report on your behalf. You can be made anonymous call to them if you would just like more information as to how they might handle the situation, so that your confidentiality is maintained. You can contact Child Help USA at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453) or you can view their website: http://www.childhelp.org/ for more information. But if you feel like you’re in immediate danger, then you should call 911.

Justice for the Children is another service that is outside of the police and CPS. They are a national child advocacy organization to help you if there might be inadequate and/or failure to protect you from abuse or neglect. You can reach them at 1-800-733-0059 or you can view their website at: http://www.justiceforchildren.org .

We are a 24/7 non-judging, anonymous and confidential crisis line. We are here to help process through situation, discuss option in more detail, provide local resources/referrals and assist in making conference calls to other services or agencies. We do want to let you know that if we get identifying information (age, city, state, address, phone number and name (s) of alleged abuser (s)), then we would be mandated to report abuse. Also we want to you know who are other mandated reporters, which means the following people/agencies by law would have to report any or alleged abuse/neglect: Social Services, teachers, counselors, doctors. However, we do not determine what is or is not abuse though. We want you to feel comfortable in calling us. Our number is 1-800RUNAWAY (786-2929). You are welcome to call at any time you are ready.  We look forward in hear from you and wish you the best. Please be safe in the mean time!

Hey I am 16 getting ready to be 17 in February and my mom mentally abuse's me and I want to go live with my boyfriend in Kentucky how cod I do that

[ccsmod5]

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting NRS. It sounds like you are going through a tough time and we’re glad you reached out to us.
No one deserves to be treated the way you have been treated by both your Mom and Dad. It is your parent’s responsibility to provide a safe and supportive environment for you. It is very brave of you to reach out and try to improve your situation.

If you feel that you are in danger you can always call 911. If you need to get away, you could consider contacting National Safe Place at www.nationalsafeplace.org or text your location and SAFE to 44357. They will text you the nearest safe place where you can go until you decide what you want to do.
Another potential resource is the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at www.childhelp.org or 1-800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453). Childhelp is a 24-hour hotline with volunteers who can talk to you about your situation and provide resources that may be helpful to you.
You could also consider contacting your local Division of Family Services or Child Protective Services. If you are uncomfortable making the call, you can call us and one of our volunteers can make the call with or for you.

Do you have friends or family or a teacher or counselor at school that you are comfortable talking to about your situation? They may also have advice or ideas that may be helpful to you.
At NRS our main goal is to see that you are safe and off the street. We’re not legal experts, but we can provide some basic information that may be helpful to you.

Generally the age of majority (the age when you can legally leave home) is 18. Running away is not illegal. Since you are 16, however, if you run away, your parents can file a runaway report. If you are picked up by the police they will likely take you back home. You should know that if you are staying with someone and you are picked up there, they could be charged with harboring a runaway.
The way the police handle runaway and harboring cases varies from place to place. If you call the non-emergency number of your local police department they may be able to tell you how they handle runaway and harboring cases. If you are uncomfortable making the call, you can call us and one of our volunteers can make the call with or for you.

If you want to talk to someone about how you are feeling a potential resource is NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, at www.nami.org or 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with mental health conditions, their family members and caregivers. HelpLine staff and volunteers may able to provide guidance and offer resources that may be helpful to you.

You can also always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or contact us by chat at www.1800runaway.org. We have volunteers available 24/7 to talk and to help you find resources that may be helpful to you.

We wish you the best!

Stay safe,
NRS

i’m 16 i’m scared at my house i love with my dad my mom has been founded unfit 4 times he constantly threatens me about taking me to live with my mom i do not feel safe with my mom and sometimes i don’t feel safe with my dad all i wanna do is leave home they can have my phone they can have everything i just want to be happy i’m trying to finish school but agurinf and fighting is non stop and it makes it really hard to go to school after you just sat there and agured and go told you weren’t good enough for anything this has happened with my family more than once i’m beyond upset right now i can’t sleep and i won’t be able to get up for school i’m just scared and i want out of this house and i want to live on my own and take myself to school and just be happy it is really affecting my mental health and it is really affecting my stability if anyone can help me please reach out to me i’m beyond scared

[ccsmod2]

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to NRS. While we are an organization that primarily caters to youths, we will try and answer your post to the best of our ability. We’re sorry to hear that you’re having a hard time with your son’s custody situation. We’re not legal experts, but we’ll provide you with as much information as we can based on our understanding.



If your son’s legal guardians (his grandparents) do not give him permission to stay with you, and your son stays with you anyway- his grandparents can file a police report. If the police find your son, they most likely would bring him back to his grandparents. In these situations the minor (in this case your son) rarely faces any kind of legal repercussions. However, there is a possibility that charges could be filed against you. However, since we do not have a lot of information of your situation, it’s hard for us to determine the likelihood of charges being filed against you.



We’d suggest reaching out to us via phone or live chat so that we could provide you with legal resources in your area that will have more definitive answers regarding the custody laws and practices in your state. Both our live chat and phone lines operate 24/7. Thank you for reaching out to NRS, we wish you the best of luck.

[ccsmod2]

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’re having a really, really rough time at home and we are really glad you messaged us, it takes a lot of bravery on your part. We’re sorry to hear that things are so hard right now.



You are correct when you say that if you runaway, your legal guardians can file a police report and you could be brought back home. You do have options available to you that might help improve your situation, however the laws around emancipation, alternative living situations and custody can vary from state to state. We’d suggest reaching out to us via live chat (1800Runaway.org) or via phone (1-800-Runaway), both of which are available 24/7 so we can get some more information about your situation. We have a wide variety of resources and information that might help you navigate your living situation, as well as the stress and depression you’re experiencing.



We’re wishing you the best of luck, and hope that you will reach out so we can provide you with as much support/information as possible. Thank you again for contacting NRS.

Hi I’m 15 about to turn 16 in March and I hate living at home with my step mom and dad. My dad hates me and makes me do everything for him he doesn’t work and my step mom works all the time so I’m stuck cooking dinner every night and doing all the chores around the house I can’t even hangout with my friends without being interrogated and I get yelled at all the time because nothing I do is good enough I want to leave home and move in with my sister but I feel like if I ask they will say no because my dad hates my step sister more than anything but I know if I run away my step mom will file a police report and I just want to get away
and I’m depressed and stressed all the time what do I do I really need help

My 16-year-old son refuses to get out of my vehicle to go back to his grandparents which are his guardians can he legally come stay with me without having to go to court

[ccsmod7]

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We appreciate you reaching out and sharing what has been going on. We are here for you. You do not deserve to be emotionally abused and sounds like you are in a difficult situation. It seems you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options.

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 Child Protective Services. Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453 www.childhelp.org is an organization that helps protect minors from being harmed.

It sounds like you are considering emancipation and want to learn more about this process. While we are not legal experts, The age of majority in Florida is 18. This means that when you turn 18, you gain almost all of the legal rights that adults have. Some of those include, The right to vote. Obtaining a driver's license without parental permission. Turning 18 also comes with responsibilities, like the ability to be sued in court, and serving on a jury. Normally, you must be at least sixteen years old to be eligible for emancipation.

In order to seek a court mandated emancipation, minors must submit: A statement of "character, habits, income, and mental capacity for business, An explanation of how the needs of the minor with respect to food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and other necessities will be met." Minors must state whether they are party to any court action taking place in Florida or another state. Minors must also submit a statement explaining why they seek an order of emancipation. Parents must be notified of any such proceeding.

This is some information that we have on emancipation in Florida. The process can take time and there are fees associated. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.

There are a lot of things to consider when leaving home. We would need some more information to help you or provide any additional resources. We would recommend calling us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or contact by Live Chat, we are here 24/7.

National Runaway Safeline
[email protected] (Crisis Email)
1-800-RUNAWAY (24 Hour Hotline)
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Hi, I am 16 years old and I live in florida. My parents are very toxic and i have a lot of screenshotted messages and recorded videos of my parents emotionally abusing me. They have taken almost everything from me, my phone that i pay for, my horses that i want to buy from them even though as a family we agree that they are mine. I want to get myself emancipated, I have a home to go to with my boyfriend who lives by himself, i just quit my job, but i have another interview next week. I always made really good grades and money is not an issue for me. With evidence and being able to take care of myself, would that help me get emancipated? I really need to get out of my house. I really lost myself and I am under so much stress from them that my body is literally sick from. Im trying to be the better person and sit down and talk to them through theses fights but they arent willing to do so, so i have to make an act upon myself. I really need advice, this has been going on for years. We have tried counsiling and everything. im not allowed to leave the house besides for school. Someone please help me, any word of advice would be very helpful! Thank you

[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 your grandson is faced with right now and you’re wanting to find a way to help them as they mentioned having been kicked out. It’s great that your grandson has support and concern from you especially since this time is quite difficult for them.

Having a space to vent and explore options may often bring out a solution previously not thought of. We are here as support to help you and your grandson through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat. 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).

We’re here to listen and to help and hope you or your friend can reach out soon.

Take care,

NRS

My grandson was forced to move out, he is 16 and has always been very missed treated, unfortunately my son is his step father and my son could never really except him, his mother really missed treated him also, I live with the family and my relationship with my son is almost gone because I always stood up for my grandson, he is a wonderful person and all he wanted was to be loved, he is staying with a friend but he needs help so bad, I try to give him what I can but he needs so much more, is there any place he can get good help? Thank you a sad and desperate grandma

[ccsmod16]

Hi,
Thanks for reaching out; we are glad that you did. It sounds like things are really stressful for you at home due to arguing and drama and that you don't get listened to. It's not fair for you to be treated badly. The hard part about wanting to leave at 16 is whether your parents would send police to go get you and have you brought back. That is a possibility if they guess where you are.
We hope that you will reach out to our live services to talk this over and to help you figure out your options. You can chat us through this website, or call our hotline at 1-800-786-2929 (1-800-RUNAWAY)
We truly hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
NRS

I am 16 and I feel just not happy at home I feel like I don’t get listen too and I just get treated like ******** at times I just get mad every time I’m home bc of drama and arguing I wanna live with my boyfriend and his family bc I feel way better there then home which is weird bc I love my family but I can’t handle them at all idk what to do. I just feel broken