runaway laws in california

[ccsmod16]

Re: runaway laws in california

Hey there,
Thank you so much for deciding to reach out to NRS! We understand how difficult it can be when asking for help so we are so glad you decide to do so. From what you shared with us, it sounds like there is some tension at home between you and your father, as well as some hostility. It also seems that you have been experiencing some struggle with independence and happiness. We just want you to know that you are very strong and brave person and no on deserves to be treated in an abusive way.
You mentioned that you are considering leaving home. Before you make any decisions we would just like you to know that leaving home without consent at the age of 16 is considered a status offense. With this being said your parents are able to file a runaway report in which would make police obligated to bring you home if found. If you do decide to leave, consent or not, having a plan prepared can be important. You mentioned going to California with some friends. Ho would you get there? How long can you stay with them? Considering these things as well as means of sustainability such as getting a job, health insurance, shelter, food supply, and basic needs is also important. We just want to make sure you consider staying as safe and prepared as possible. If you should ever need a shelter or safe place in a specific area we would be happy to possibly help connect you to one.
Something you also mentioned was the straining relationship between you and your father . Having conversations about moving out or just working on your relationship with her may be intimating or unfocused, but fortunately we may be able to help. We provide a conference call service which involves us calling a parent, letting them know who we are and then proceed with a conversation where both sides of the call are heard and respected. Similar conversations can also be held in family counseling which you could also consider. Again if you are not comfortable with this, your mother can be someone also involved. Reaching out to your family in California or even nearby in order to help you out either emotionally or financially is another options.
We hope that this message has help shed light on your situation in some way. Please know that if you have any more questions or were interested in anything I previously talked about, we are available 24/7 at 1800RUNAWAY. Stay strong and positive.

Best of luck, NRS.

[Unregistered]

Mother of a runaway

My daughter ran away a week ago. Through tiny little clues, I was able to locate her. I've never had an issue with my daughter in the past. We had a very close, loving relationship. This came totally out of left field for me. It turned out she thought her dad and I didn't like her boyfriend, which wasn't true, and through pressure from him, they ran away. My question is, what charges, if any, can I press against the woman who harbored them? We know her and she completely lied to us about having our child.
I'd also like to ask another question: why are the other kids on here running away? A parents job is the toughest ever. They get stressed, they yell, they regret, and it's all because they have no idea what they're doing. Just trying to do the best we can. My advice to these teens is, unless you're actually being abused or are unsafe at home, PLEASE try to work it out first. There's no greater fear than not knowing where your child is or if they're safe.

[ccsmod14]

Re: Mother of a runaway

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you have been through a difficult time and you are looking for some answers to questions about what has happened. Your questions and feelings are completely understandable. We’re here to help in any way that we can.

You shared that your daughter ran away and you were able to find her safely which is great to hear. You shared that someone was harboring her and her boyfriend, and that this woman lied about it. This has to be extremely frustrating. We’re not legal experts here at the National Runaway Safeline, but generally anyone that a youth who has been filed as a runaway stays with, who has knowledge of their runaway status, could potentially be charged for harboring. This tends to be dependent on the state, county, police department or even the individual police officer. One option you have is to contact your local police to ask these questions, or if you call us here at (800) RUNAWAY (786 2929) we could potentially provide legal resources in your area that may be able to speak more about your options.

You also asked about why kids want to run away. It sounds like you have a lot of personal experience as a worried parent of a runaway child. Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we recognize that each individual’s situation and story is different, and relative to their own life. We’re not here to tell anyone what they should or should not do, we’re just here to help keep youth safe in what they decide is best for their own situation, as they know it better than we ever will. It is wonderful to hear the concern that you have for other parents who may experience the same worry and concern that you have gone through yourself. It sounds like your daughter has a lot of support from you.

We’re here 24/7 to help support you the best that we can. Please do not hesitate to call or chat to talk more, we’re here to listen and here to help.

Best,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Re: runaway laws in california

Hello is there a chance for me to runaway cuz when I found new church friends I come home at night my parents get mad at me.

[ccsmod1]

Re: runaway laws in california

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us for help. It sounds like you are in a tough situation and you are thinking about running away. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. If you are under the age of 18, if you leave home without permission you could be considered a runaway. This means that your parent or legal guardian could call the police, who might force you to return home. Running away is not a crime, however anyone who allows you to stay with them could risk criminal charges for harboring a runaway.
We are not legal experts. Laws are different from state to state, county to county, city to city. In some areas, police might not take a runaway report for youth who are close to turning 18, or they might take a report but not force a youth to return home. How a local police department responds to the situation can vary drastically. A good way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are. You can also call us any time 24/7 to talk about your situation and come up with a plan. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon, and wish you the best of luck.

[Unregistered]

California Harboring Runaway Laws

I'm 14 and have been planning on running away for months, almost a year now, but havent taken the big step just yet. I live in a house where I'm forced to sleep on a couch because my mom's boyfriend moved in. My mom never seems to be happy with what I do even if I made it into honors classes and I clean the house and help her with the food. I want to runaway and move in with my boyfriend and his family, but he's scared his mom might get charged for harboring a runaway, but I doubt I'd be caught. I wanted to know if there was any way to emancipate myself or get his mom to adopt me somehow without my mom's permission. If not I wanted to just run away. What would be the chances of getting caught if I were to just stay in his room every day?

[ccsmod10]

RE: California Harboring Runaway Laws

Thank you for reach out to us today. We’re sorry to hear that you’re dealing with such a tough situation by yourself. If you feel like you’re up to talking more about your situation, you can call us 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY or chat with us.
Since you are under the age of 18, your boyfriend’s mom could get into some trouble for harboring a runaway. Also, having her adopt you without your mom’s consent is a much more complicated situation and very unlikely to happen. If you were to run away, your mom could file a runaway report with the police and if they found you, they would have to return you back home – which could potentially make the situation at home a bit more difficult.
Again, we encourage you to give us a call so we can talk through your situation and come up with a better plan.
Best Wishes,
NRS

[Guest]

I'm 18, I'm gonna go on a trip with my boyfriend a dmt family is threatening to press charges on us. Threatening to classify me as a runaway even though I'm 18, they know where I'm going and for how long and everything they need to know. They don't want me to go because my boyfriend is 20 but we've been dating for 2 years. Can they get me in trouble with the law?

[ccsmod4]

Reply: I'm 18

Hello,
Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

We appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on.
Being in a situation where you are stranded must be upsetting for you.
We understand that a situation such as yours can be frustrating; we are glad you reached out to NRS.

In most states 18 years old is the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian.
One way to find out the laws in your area is to call the non-emergency number of your local police. Once you do so you might ask what is the majority age in your state and if it gives you the right to leave home without parental consent. Does that make sense?

If you would like to talk more about your situation please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or www.1800Runaway.org. (Live chat).
NRS is here to listen and here to help.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

14 cant take the abuse where can I go in merced ca

[ccsmod16]

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We care about you and what you are going through. We are concerned about the abuse you wrote about. Our database lists the Valley Crisis Center in Merced 209-722-4357. You can reach out to them yourself, or call our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY and we can call with or for you.

Your message didn’t give much detail about your situation. Either accessing our hotline or our live chat (4:30-11:30 pm central time) with us, we can help you figure out ways to be safer. We do care and we hope to hear from you again. We are here to listen and here to help.

[Guest]

Shelter for abused tenns in merced california

[Guest]

I would like some information on state laws in California for putting a teenager (15 to be exact) in either a boot camp or residential program against their will. I am a single parent struggling with a teenage boy who has gone to the extremes of not coming home for days. My biggest concern is the person he is hanging out with, another teenager whom has been out and about in the streets for a while as his family as well no longer can control him. This kid my son is hanging out with is selling drugs and using multiple drugs himself and currently pays for my sons uber rides to get him to run away from home and gives him marihuana and takes him along places. I am concern for the safety of my son when out in the streets with this kid. Please help with any information you may have. Another thing too is money is a problem as I have learned about out of state residential programs he could be sent out to, but are quite pricey, anywhere from 1,500 per month and up which as a single parent I cannot afford. Also a little over a month ago I became unemployed. So times are real hard right now.

[ccsmod2]

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us. You seem really concerned about your son, which is understandable. We actually aren't a legal resource, so we don't know the laws for the state of California about residential programs. If there is anything that you state offers, your local juvenile court may have more information on the process. It is helpful to check with them to see if they can give you any information on those types of programs.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Guest]

Im 17 and i tried talking about how i choose to live my life...they told me to get out.i want to leave but what do i do if cops are looking for me?...i left to not get hit or worse.they told me to leave thats what im doing ive tried to kill myself and i will kill myself if i dont get to live the life i want.

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are going through a rough time not being able to live the life that you want. It must be exhausting to not be able to live as your true self. We want to strongly encourage you to give us call so we can talk to you more about what is going on. We want to make sure that you are safe. Since you mentioned that you have tried killing yourself and that you are considering killing yourself if you do not get what you want, we would like to provide you with the number to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255
We do not want to leave you without options because your safety is our number one priority. We hope you can think over the option of calling us if you wish to further discuss alternatives. Be safe and good luck.
It was brave of you to reach out for help. If you want to talk more about what is going on you can always give us a call 1-800-786-2929

[Guest]

I just learned that my niece ran away on 6/27/17 but my sister did not report it until 7/8/17. My niece is 16 years old and was adopted by my sister when she was 6 months old. This family is toxic!!! Shouldn't my sister get in trouble for waiting so long to report the runaway?

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out for your niece.

Sounds like her mom was neglectful and only recently filed your niece as a runaway. You do have the right to report her mom to Child Protective Services due to the neglect. If CPS investigates and finds the neglect highly dangerous, the youth would be removed from mom’s custody. However, if you report without knowing your niece’s location or contact information, CPS might have a hard time investigating the neglect. To learn more about your reporting options you might contact the national Child Abuse Hotline if you would like to talk to expert child advocates familiar with CPS at 1-800-422-4453.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to talk more about the situation and brainstorm your options. If you are in contact with her, you might give her our number 1-800-RUNAWAY. We can talk through her situation, provide support, and look for safe places for her to go. Thanks again for advocating for your niece. She is lucky to have someone who cares like you.

We truly wish you all the best,

NRS

[Guest]

I'm 13, I live I'm California. All other posts on social media have turned out bad, so on here I feel better to ask. But my question is if I runaway to somewhere, and the cops somehow track my # down and find me, do they take me back home or do I sit in the station and wait for parents to pick me up. And what happens if this is done multiple times? Plz respond soon.