Guardianship of a minor

[Guest]

I am an adult and currently live in MN, and my niece lives in Nebraska. Technically we aren't related, it's more of a found family situation. She is 16, and has stated multiple times she wants to leave home as soon as possible, I had told her when she turned 19 she could come live with me. However, things have gotten worse for her recently, and I am certain she is being emotionally abused, so I would like to help her get out as soon as possible. Would it be possible to obtain guardianship of her if she would like me too? What would that process look like? What sorts of things would I need to prove she is being abused? Would we have to get her mother's permission? I just want to keep her safe.

[ccsmod3]

Hi there, thank you for reaching out. It sounds like you are concerned about your niece and trying to help as best as you can. It sounds like your niece is being emotionally abused and that is not okay. It is an option to make a report with child protective services as an option. It also sounds like you are interested in trying to get guardianship of her and while we are not legal experts and do not know exactly what that process might look like, we can provide some legal resources to assist you with next steps. To get these resources, we would need you to either call our hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat us online at 1800runaway.org. It can also be an option to pass our contact info on to your niece so she can reach out directly and get some additional support from us as well. We want to help as best as we can so we hope to hear from either of you soon.
Be safe,
NRS