running away while a ward of the state

My son is in state custody as of right now. He will be 16 in two weeks. He is home on a home visit and was supposed to be back yesterday. He doesn't want to go back. He is my son. What can I do? Any advice please..

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks for contacting us, it takes a lot of bravery to do so. From your post, we aren't exactly sure what you mean. If you have a warrant out for your arrest and you do choose to run away you may face serious legal repercussions. Being a ward of the state means that the state is your legal custodian and acts as your guardian. Usually, people become their own guardians upon turning 18 but this can vary depending on if you are in the foster care system and opt to remain so or if a court finds you unable to care for yourself. We aren't legal experts here at NRS but if you are a ward of the state and leave your placement you will most likely be brought back to where you are supposed to live. This can vary greatly from state to state so it may be a good idea to reach out to a legal aid group for clarification on your state's laws. You can find a legal aid group near you by going to https://www.lawhelp.org/find-help/.

Be safe,
NRS

I'm 20 and I'm a warrant for the state what will happen if I ran from placement

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out and sharing a little bit about what's been going on with your friend, it's so great of you to advocate for them. We aren’t legal experts here at NRS, but generally speaking, if they do opt to leave their home thier foster family can file a runaway report, which is essentially a missing person report. Running away is a status offense; this means that it isn’t illegal, but it’s something you can’t do while still a minor. If a runaway report is filed and they are located by the authorities they will most likely be returned home. Runaway reports are entered into a national database so they still will be considered a runaway and returned home no matter the state they are in. Additionally, runaway reports are only invalidated once the individual turns 18 as then it is no longer a status offense.

It is worth noting that if your friend goes to stay at their partner’s house without prior permission from their foster family, they could be charged with harboring a runaway, which is a misdemeanor. Penalties for harboring a runaway vary from state to state, police officer to officer, and how their foster family views the situation.

If your friend would like to go over what’s going on in depth or explore other options that they may have available to them, they call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. They can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support in any way we can.

Stay safe,
NRS

Hello I have a question I have a friend who is 17 years old and been in foster care for six months now and they ran away from there foster home and ran away with there friend they lived in PA and they are afraid because they don't want to go back there was a report that was made to the police how long do they search for them before they stop they are 17 n there friend is 19 if they leave to go to another state will they be forced to come home or can they move on with there life and will there friend get in trouble because they 19 n are they theyare 17 they are a couple

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for reaching out and sharing a little bit about what’s been going on, we know that it takes a lot of courage. It sounds like you are a very responsible individual. It may be beneficial to speak with your case manager directly to see if they can give you the OK to or even assist you with continuing your education or enlisting in the military. You can also try reaching out to your local enlistment office to see if you can still enlist in the armed forces at 18, even if the age of majority in your state is 19.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

Stay safe,
NRS

I am a ward of the state due to what my guardian has done. I'm very independent, and have had no problems what so ever. I'm aware that the state has costody of me until I am 19. Therefore, I'm afraid of what the consequences might be if I was to take off at age 18. Could I get into trouble when I go to register myself in school or join the military, and could that give me a record or bad reputation?
I turn 17 in a few months and need to be aware in order to know what to plan for myself.

[ccsmod13]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to NRS. It sounds like you are looking for a way to leave home before you turn 18. You know when it is best for you to leave. We are here 24/7 to help and talk with you about your next steps. If you leave home without the permission of your guardian, they can file a runaway report. Running away is not a crime and you would not be arrested. If the police know where you are, they will most likely return you home.

We want to support you through this difficult situation. We would need to know more about what is going on to explore options with you. Please do not hesitate to reach out by phone (1-800-786-2929) or chat (1800runaway.org) to talk more about what is going on and discuss in more detail what you would like to do.

Be safe,
NRS.

I don't want to be here and I'm supposed to stay here till I'm 18 I wanna leave too.

[ccsmod7]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out today. Sounds like you are in-care and wanting to leave when you are 18, but worries that they will hold you. That sounds really stressful, and we truly want to be a support for you.

We are not experts on being in-care but we can speak generally. If 18 is the majority age in your state and you are in-care, once you turn 18 you could still be in-care but they generally cannot force you to stay there. From our general understanding, once you are a legal adult you could still get extended benefits such as staying in a transitional living program or help with paying for college. However, if you are not wanting to stay in-care and you leave, it is possible that you would lose those benefits but they would not force you to return.

We hope this information is helpful. Please call or chat us if you would like to talk through your situation: 1-800-RUNAWAY; www.1800runaway.org.

Best,

NRS

Hi the state is talking about holding me until i'm 18. Can they not do this as long as I finish highschool? I'm a tad behind but I think i'll make it before i'm 18. So if I want to leave at 18 can they hold me in care??? because I really want to leave.

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for reaching out and sharing a little bit about what's going on. Since you are not with your boyfriend there should be no reason for him to be in legal trouble because you ran away. We aren’t legal experts here at NRS, but generally speaking, since you left your placement, a runaway report can be filed by whoever is listed as your legal guardian, which is essentially a missing person report. Running away is a status offense; this means that it isn’t illegal, but it’s something you can’t do while still a minor. If a runaway report is filed and you are located by the authorities you will most likely be returned to your placement. If you are staying with an adult, they could be charged with harboring a runaway, which is a misdemeanor. Penalties for harboring a runaway vary from state to state, police officer to officer, and how your legal guardian views the situation. The police may or may not talk to your boyfriend or your caseworker for information about your whereabouts but the order in which they would be contacted (or even if they would be contacted) would be up to the discretion of the officer taking the runaway report.

If you’d like to go over what’s going on in depth, or if you’d like to explore other options that you may have available to you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. You can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support you in any way we can.

Stay safe,
NRS

Hi, I am a 18 year old and I turn 19 in 4 months. I was living in the town I was placed in with my foster family, I ran away from there and was with several people throughout the two months I was a runaway. My social worker is very kind and understanding, but I’m concerned that my boyfriend whom she has met and likes very much may get in trouble because I am currently on the run from the shelter I was placed at. I’m not with him because of the fact I know that people looking for me know who he is, but will the police contact him immediately? Or will they have to contact my Social Worker first? He has supported me in a lot of ways and if it weren’t for his support I wouldn’t know what to do right now. The last thing I want is for him to get into any trouble he truly didn’t cause or isn’t involved in, and he definitely would not deserve that. Please help me understand what could happen and who decides that.

[ccsmod9]

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. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. After reading over your story you probably would not be able to file a doctor’s appointment as you need a guardian for that but more importantly you are within the states care so you probably would be turned in pretty quickly. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe, NRS

I'm 17 and was wondering if I would get turned in if I went to the doctors while I have a runaway warrant . Im also supposed to be in foster care