17 Runaway In California

[Guest]

If a 17 year old in California felt unsafe in their home and didn't wish to end up in foster care(or with their other parent in a separate state who lost them in a court battle), and this 17 year old made the decision to run away, would they be able to enroll in another school? If the parent contacted law enforcement and attempted to stop the 17 year old, would the teen be forcibly returned if found? Would they be able to stay with a friend if they chose to? What steps could be completed to insure that they don't end up placed somewhere against their wishes?

[ccsmod10]

We are not legal experts; however, we can say that it is possible that the 17-year-old's parents/legal guardians could report them as a runaway and if that were to happen, police could investigate where they were and attempt to return them home. It is not 100% certain they would do so if the youth protested that they were unsafe at home, but that might result in other custody being sought out (it is unlikely, if a runaway report were filed, police would allow the runaway youth to stay at the home they were staying at unbothered). As for school enrollment, it would require possession of legal documents and might require proof that the youth resides at the address they are staying at.

There is no guarantee to ensure that the youth wouldn't be placed somewhere against their wishes unfortunately. We can talk specifics if you would like to live chat us at 1800runaway.org or call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY.