running away while a ward of the state

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It sounds like you are hoping to learn about laws surrounding marijuana in Arizona. Please know that we are not legal experts, but we would be happy to talk further with you to provide direct support as well as assist you in finding out more about this law in Arizona. The answer may be as simple as if it is legal to smoke marijuana in Arizona or not. Please feel welcome to reach out to us directly at 1-800-RUNAWAY or by reaching out through our online chat, found on our website at www.1800runaway.org

Kind regards,
NRS

i live in Arizona, im a ward of the state and placed in custody with my grandma. my Grandma and her son both smoke marijuana around me. is that allowed?

[ccsmod10]

It is possible you will be looked for, yes. If they reported you as a runaway, law enforcement could try to find you and return you home. Depending on what state you live in, when you turn 18, the "runaway" status may expire. In most states running away is not a crime so there are no consequences for you after you turn 18.

If you have more questions or want to talk about your situation more you can live chat us at 1800runaway.org or call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY.

im 17 years old and a ward of the state. i was just placed with my Grandma but still a ward of state cause my mother never signed custody to my aunt who was taking care of me. if i runaway from my grandmas till im 18 will i still be looked for and in trouble when im 18? I live in Arizona

[ccsmod7]

Hello,

Thanks for contacting NRS. It sounds like you’ve been on a long journey with different living situations. You mentioned that you felt safe and with family at that time. How would you say things are going now?

If you ever feel unsafe then seek immediate help from someone you trust or call 911. Only you can decide how safe you feel at home. As you know, being over 18 will make it easier to decide how and where you want to live, and you deserve that.

It is hard to determine from here what services you may want or need, or how extensive your physical and emotional pain may be, if you feel like you have any. If you ever need someone to talk to you can text 741741 to the Crisis Text Line.

We also encourage you to reach back out to us for more detailed help if you need it at anytime. We are available 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or through a live chat on our website www.1800runaway.org.

Take care,
NRS

When I was 17, 6 months away from my 18th birthday. I was still a ward of the state living in a group home. I wanted to be closer to my family so I ran away. I stayed gone until a day after my 18th birthday and my caseworker let me sign out. I was safe and with family.

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us. We are so sorry that you were moved so far from your friends and family. It sounds like their support is really important to you and you are considering running away if you cannot be placed near them. We cannot tell you what to do, but we can share information that may help you decide what is best for you.

In your message, you mention having a hard time trusting your case manager. It may help to revisit the discussion of where you are placed with her, and remind her that you would prefer to be placed as close as possible to your previous support system (your brother and friends). It may also be helpful to talk to your case manager if you feel there is a family member or another adult that is ready and able to be legally responsible for you, so that she can explain whether this is a possible alternative to where you are currently placed.

We are not legal experts, but from what we understand, since you are a ward of the state, your case manager must decide where you live until you are considered a legal adult in your state. If you feel that you are able to support yourself and no longer need the guidance of a parent or legal guardian, you might explore whether emancipation is right for you. Keep in mind that youth that pursue emancipation must typically meet several requirements, and these can vary from state to state. For more information on this option in your state, organizations like Legal Aid may be able to help. They can be reached by phone at 1-877-250-2016 or online at https://lawhelpne.legalaidofnebraska.org/ .

If you are considered a minor in your state and you leave without consent, your case manager can report you as a runaway to your local police department. From what we understand, running away is not technically illegal, but it is considered a status offense in some states. Typically, if a youth is reported as a runaway and is found by local police, they would return the youth to their legal guardian. Although it is not illegal for you to run away, anyone you stay with could be charged with harboring a runaway, a misdemeanor charge in many states. If you have questions or would like to discuss your situation further, please feel free to reach out to us.

Whatever you decide, know that we are here to support you. We cannot tell you what to do, but we will do our best to help you stay safe as you decide how to approach your situation. Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button). We are here to listen, here to help. Stay safe!

-NRS

I’m 16 and living in Nebraska I want to be closer to my brother and friends because they moved me hours away. And my case manager says that she can’t find any placements in that town but I know she’s lying I’m planning on just running away she finds me a different placement. But I don’t want to be out in a group home instead. What do y’all recommend

[ccsmod15]

Hi, thanks for reaching out to us at NRS.

We’d like to say first of all that we are not legal experts, but we will answer your questions to the best of our ability. In most scenarios, running away is not necessarily illegal; however, some cities could have some loop holes that could lead to some legal trouble. For example, some exceptions would be if you had engaged in other illegal activity while away, or if there was already some intervention with the court that would lead to legal consequences for running away. It is also possible that running away is considered a “status offense,” meaning, it may go on your record as a youth, but would not follow you as an adult.

In terms of how long the police would search for you (is that what you mean by DCS?), it’s hard to say exactly how long they would search for you; however, we have heard that often they do not search as hard for youth who are that close to turning 18. In terms of how they search for you, our understanding is that if a police or runaway report was made, your name would be in a database, and so if you were stopped on the street by the police (for instance if they believe you should be in school), they would likely be able to associate you with the name in the database and would technically be responsible for returning you to your foster home.

Regarding your criminal record, as we stated above, it’s hard to say if that will make any difference if you were caught running away as a youth. It could be helpful to reach out to your local non-emergency line (often 311) and ask how they typically respond to runaways, and if there are legal implications. The search should stop when you are 18, as you would technically be an adult; again, unless you were a missing person and wanted by the police for other legal reasons.

We also are unable to state just how much trouble your boyfriend would get in if the police discovered that you had been living with him prior to becoming an adult. We do know that he could get into legal trouble for “harboring a runaway,” although we unfortunately cannot say what the legal implications would be, as they are often different in different city, states, or circumstances.

Please know that you can always give our 24/7 confidential hotline a call if you want to discuss this further and see if there are any local resources we can look into for you: (800) RUNAWAY, 1800runaway.org. You don’t have to go through this alone.

Best of luck!

NRS

Hi I am 17 years old and a ward of the state. I live in Indiana and know that running away is illegal. But I still want to runaway. How long would DCS search for me? How would they search for me? If they find me how much trouble would I get in? I have a criminal record already so does that matter? Would the search stop when I’m 18 or 21? I’m not on probation or anything at the moment though they did say if I do something stupid they would send me to Juvie or a residential placement. I am planning on running away to my boyfriend that is 19 and lives in Louisiana. How much trouble would he get in if he was caught with me as a runaway? Please don’t tell me not to runaway just answer my questions. Thank you

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

We are very sorry to hear your daughter and her boyfriend are currently missing and that your daughter's boyfriend is being mentally abused by his foster parent. A few things you may want to consider:

1) Notifying the police about the situation and that your daughter is missing. Running away is not normally considered a crime, so your daughter most likely would not get in trouble. But at least the police could be on the lookout for her. You could also file a runaway report through the NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678.

2) Networking with friends of your daughter or anyone else that might have some clues about the situation and where she might be.

3) Filing an abuse report on the foster parent that is abusing your daughter's boyfriend. You can do that through www.childhelp.org (1-800-422-4453). However, you may want to talk to your daughter's boyfriend first to see if he would like to have an abuse report filed.

4) Share our contact info with your daughter and her boyfriend. They can call or chat with us anytime and we are confidential. Hotline number: 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us via www.1800runaway.org. Of course, you can also feel free to call us anytime if you'd like to discuss this matter further and figure out what other options there may be.

All the best,
NRS

my daughter will be 18 in Sept her boyfriend is 16 and is a ward of the state his foster parent is very mentally abusive to him and is doing everything he can to keep them apart.

her boyfriend said he was gonna run last night and wanted my daughter to go with him I have not heard from either of them since last night and I am worried sick please help

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,

Thank you so much for reaching The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. It sounds like you are going through a really difficult time and we want you to know that you are not alone.
If you have a legal guardian at 24 years old, you most likely would have a case manager or social worker. One option to consider would be to talk to them about your plans to leave and they can help you develop a plan. For safe measures it would be a good idea to have a safe place to stay in Washington State. Also keep in mind the cost of living and make sure you have enough to pay bills and for safety.
We would love to talk more about your situation and help you develop a safe plan. We are available 24/7 to listen and to provide support to you. We wish you the best of luck!
NRS

Hi, I'm 24, I have a legal guardian and I'm in residential care in new hampshire, I wish to leave state and this life behind to go to Washington state, but I don't know the risks associated, my guardian as per what I heard years back in the guardianship case was it was supposed to be financial and medical only but everyone has treated it like it was full guardianship. Nowadays my money is handled by a payee from a agency. If I leave and go to Washington state, what would be the safest measures to take in order to start over as a whole new life and all?

[ccsmod15]

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. It seems there is a lot that you are faced with right now and you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options. It seems you want to know some information on runaway laws.
While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. At which point police would be on the lookout for you. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.
Emancipation would not happen automatically just by virtue of not living in a foster/group home. You usually would need to meet the basic requirements which generally include being able to support yourself without the help of the state, and having a good reason to be emancipated. If you feel you met those requirements you could then file through the courts to be emancipated. Usually the first step is finding a lawyer or legal aid resource to help you through the process.
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).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
Be safe,
NRS