16& a vindictive abusive mother

[Guest]

My 16 year old nephew was kicked out of his home 12/27/2020. His mother packed ALL his belongings and sent it to my house. She has vindictively locked him out of everything including his email. She has socially bullied him by logging into his accounts and speaking to his friends breaking up with his girlfriend etc. She has told him he is NoT allowed back at her home but also controls him while hes at mine. Can we legally do anything to get him away from his mother?

[ccsmod1]

Hi,

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. First and foremost, it sounds like you feel your nephew is in an unsafe living environment with his mother and are wondering what can be done legally to help. If you ever feel he is in immediate danger, please contact 911 or your local police department immediately. His safety is our number one concern. If you feel your nephew is being abused, please contact local social services or you can also reach out to the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 or www.childhelp.org for more help and guidance.

Secondly, it seems that your nephew has been staying at your home when he is having issues with his mother. While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If his mother files a missing person’s report on her son or a runaway report, please know the police may return him home and you may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law in your county, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions. If his mother is willing to let your nephew stay with you, most likely you will need to get evidence of this and have it in writing. It may be possible to obtain legal guardianship of him until he is of legal age. It may help to contact 211 United Way- they have local resources and can give you options on legal aid in your community to consult them on the situation, sometimes for free.

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).

Best of luck, NRS